BELITTLE  •  COLONEL'S 
CHRISTMAS  -VACATION! 


IP 
L  ANNIE  -FELLOWS 

u       JOHNSTON 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

GIFT  OF 

MABEL  R.  GILLIS 


THE  LITTLE  COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS 
VACATION 


Works  of 
ANNIE  FELLOWS  JOHNSTON 

The  Little  Colonel  Series 

(Trade  Mark,  Reg.  U.  S.  Pat.  Of.) 
Each    one   vol.,    large    12mo,   cloth,   illustrated 

The   Little   Colonel   Stories $1.50 

(Containing  in  one  volume  the  three  stories,  The 
Little  Colonel,"  "  The  Giant  Scissors,"  and 
"  Two  Little  Knights  of  Kentucky.") 

The   Little  Colonel's  House  Party       ....  1.50 

The  Little  Colonel's  Holidays 1.50 

The   Little   Colonel's   Hero 1.50 

The  Little   Colonel  at   Boarding-School       .         .         .  1.50 

The   Little    Colonel   in   Arizona 1.50 

The  Little  Colonel's  Christmas  Vacation     .         .         .  1.50 

The  Little  Colonel:    Maid  of  Honor  ....  1.50 

The   Little   Colonel's  Knight  Comes  Riding        .         .  1.50 

The    above    9    v->ls.,    boxed 13.50 

In  Preparation— A  New   Little    Colonel  Book  .        .  1.50 

The  Little  Colonel  Good  Times  Book        .         .        .  1.50 

Illustrated  Holiday  Editions 

Each   one  vol.,  small   quarto,   cloth,  illustrated,   and  printed 
in  colour 

The   Little   Colonel $1.25 

The    Giant    Scissors      .......  1.25 

Two   Little  Knights  of  Kentucky         ....  1.25 

Big    Brother 1.25 

Cosy  Corner  Series 

Each  one  vol.,  thin   12mo,   cloth,  illustrated 

The  Little  Colonel •      .         .  $.50 

The   Giant   Scissors        .         .         .-,...         .        .  .50 

Two  Little  Knights  of  Kentucky        .        .        .        .  .50 

Big    Brother .50 

Ole    Mammy's    Torment v  .50 

The    Story    of   Dago .50 

Cicely 50 

Aunt  'Liza's  Hero .  .50 

The  Quilt  that  Jack  Built ,  .50 

Flip's    "  Islands    of   Providence "  .50 

Mildred's   Inheritance    ........  .50 

Other  Books 

Joel:    A  Boy  of  Galilee $1.50 

In   the   Desert   of  Waiting  .     • 50 

The    Three    Weavers     .  50 

Keeping   Tryst .50 

The    Legend    of    the    Bleeding   Heart         .        .        .  .50 

Asa    Holmes '     .    '    .  1.00 

Songs  Ysame  (Poems,  with  Albion  Fellows  Bacon)  .  1.00 

L.  C  PAGE  &  COMPANY 
200  Summer  Street  Boston,  Mass. 


"'GEE  WHIZ!'   EXCLAIMED   BOB,  IN    A    TEASING   TONE.     '  SAV   THAT 
AGAIN,    WON'T    YOU    PLEASE?'"  (Seepage  163) 


the  Little  Colonel's 
€bri$tma$  Uacation 


By  ANNIE  FELLOWS  JOHNSTON 

Author  of"  The  Little  Colonel  Series."  "  Bl£  Brother," 

"  Ole  Mammy's  Torment,"  "  Joel:  A  Boy  of  Galilee," 

"Asa  Holmes,"  etc. 


Illustrated  by  ETHELDRED  B.  BARRY 


BOSTON  *  L.  C.  PAGE 
&  COMPANY  *  PUBLISHERS 


i 


Copyright,  igos 

BY  L.  C.  PAGE  &  COMPANY 

(INCORPORATED) 

Att  rights  reserved 


Published  October,  1905 


Ninth  Impression,  June,  1908 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PACB 

I.    WARWICK  HALL i 

II.  "THE  OLD  GIRLS'  WELCOME  TO  THE  NEW"  22 

III.  AN  EXCURSION 46 

IV.  "KEEP  TRYST" 70 

V.  A  MEMORY  -  BOOK  AND  A  SOUVENIR  SPOON  .  95 
VI.     CHRISTMAS  CAROLS 121 

VII.     HOMEWARD  BOUND 138 

VIII.    A  PICNIC  IN  THE  SNOW 156 

IX.  A  PROGRESSIVE  CHRISTMAS  PARTY         .        .176 

X.  THE  DUNGEON  OF  DISAPPOINTMENT       .        .  198 

XI.     IN  THE  ATTIC 218 

XII.     HUMDRUM  DAYS 235 

XIII.  IN  THE  FOOTSTEPS  OF  AMANTHIS  .        .        .  254 

XIV.    "  CINDERELLA  " 273 

XV.  A  HARD -EARNED  PEARL        .       .       .        .292 

XVI.    «•  SWEET  SIXTEEN  " 315 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


«<GEE  WHIZ!'  EXCLAIMED  ROB,  IN  A  TEASING 
TONE.  '  SAY  THAT  AGAIN,  WON'T  YOU  PLEASE  ?  '  " 
(See  page  163}  .  ~.  .  .  .  Frontispiece 

"  MADAM'S  CONVERSATION  LED  FAR  AWAY  FROM  THE 

CREST  AND  ITS  LESSON  "  .  .  .  .25 

'«  STUDYING   THE  FACE  OF   THE  HANDSOME   YOUNG 

FELLOW    WITH    INTEREST"        .  .  .  .  .105 

" '  I  TELL  YOU  SOMEBODY  WAS  TRYING  TO  SANDBAG 

ME'"      .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .     152 

"ONE  OF  THE  BOYS  HAD  DARED  HIM  TO  CARRY  IT"  221 
"  <  I  NEARLY  FAINTED  WHEN  I  HAPPENED  TO  LOOK 

UP'"                      «           .           .            .            .           .            .            .  248 

"  SHE   RODE   OVER    TO    ROLLINGTON  "     .            .            .            .  299 

"  «  NO  MATTAH  WHAT  LIES  AHEAD  .  .  .  I'LL  NOT  DIS- 
APPOINT THEM'"  .......  333 


THE   LITTLE  COLONEL'S 
CHRISTMAS  VACATION 


CHAPTER   I. 

WARWICK  HALL 

WARWICK  HALL  looked  more  like  an  old  Eng- 
lish castle  than  a  modern  boarding-school  for  girls. 
Gazing  at  its  high  towers  and  massive  portal,  one 
almost  expected  to  see  some  velvet-clad  page  or 
lady-in-waiting  come  down  the  many  flights  of 
marble  steps  leading  between  stately  terraces  to  the 
river.  Even  a  knight  with  a  gerfalcon  on  his  wrist 
would  not  have  seemed  out  of  place,  and  if  a  slow- 
going  barge  had  trailed  by  between  the  willow- 
fringed  banks  of  the  Potomac,  it  would  have  seemed 
more  in  keeping  with  the  scene  than  the  steamboats 
puffing  past  to  Mount  Vernon,  with  crowds  of  ex- 
cursionists on  deck. 

The  gorgeous  peacocks  strutting  along  the  ter- 
races in  the  sun  were  partly  responsible  for  this 
i 


2         LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

impression  of  mediaeval  grandeur.  It  was  for  that 
very  purpose  that  Madam  Chartley,  the  head  of  the 
school,  kept  the  peacocks.  That  was  one  reason, 
also,  that  she  proudly  retained  the  coat  of  arms  in 
the  great  stained  glass  window  over  the  stairs, 
when  circumstances  obliged  her  to  turn  her  ances- 
tral home  into  a  boarding-school.  She  thought  a 
sense  of  mediaeval  grandeur  was  good  for  girls, 
especially  young  American  girls,  who  are  apt  to 
be  brought  up  without  proper  respect  for  age,  either 
of  individuals  or  institutions. 

In  the  dining-room  two  long  lines  of  portraits 
looked  down  from  opposite  walls.  One  was  headed 
by  a  grim  old  earl,  and  the  other  by  an  equally  grim 
old  Pilgrim  father  of  Mayflower  fame.  The  two 
lines  joined  over  the  fireplace  in  the  portraits  of 
Madam  Chartley's  great-grandparents.  It  was  for 
this  great-grandmother,  a  daughter  of  the  Pilgrims 
and  a  beautiful  Washington  belle,  that  Warwick 
Hall  had  been  built;  for  she  refused  to  give  up 
her  native  land  entirely,  even  for  the  son  of  an  earl. 

At  his  death,  when  the  title  and  the  English  es- 
tates were  inherited  by  a  distant  cousin,  the  only 
male  heir,  this  place  on  the  Potomac  was  all  that 
was  left  to  her  and  her  daughter.  It  had  been 
closed  for  two  generations.  Now  it  had  come  down 


WARWICK  HALL  3 

at  last  to  Madam  Chartley.  Although  it  found  her 
too  poor  to  keep  up  such  an  establishment,  it  also 
found  her  too  proud  to  let  her  heritage  go  to  stran- 
gers, and  practical  enough  to  find  some  way  by 
which  she  might  retain  it  comfortably.  That  way 
was  to  turn  it  into  a  first-class  boarding-school. 
She  was  a  graduate  of  one  of  the  best  American 
colleges.  The  patrician  standards  inherited  from 
her  old  world  ancestors,  combined  with  the  energy 
and  common  sense  of  the  new,  made  her  an  ideal 
woman  to  undertake  the  education  of  young  girls, 
and  Warwick  Hall  was  an  ideal  place  in  which  to 
carry  out  her  wise  theories. 

The  Potomac  was  red  with  the  glow  of  the  sun- 
set one  September  evening,  when  four  girls,  on  their 
way  back  to  Washington  after  a  day's  sightseeing, 
hurried  to  the  upper  deck  of  the  steamboat.  Some 
one  had  called  out  that  Warwick  Hall  was  in  sight. 
In  their  haste  to  reach  the  railing,  they  scarcely 
noticed  a  tall  girl  in  blue,  already  standing  there, 
who  obligingly  moved  along  to  make  room  for 
them. 

She  scrutinized  them  closely,  however,  for  she 
had  seen  them  in  the  cabin  a  little  while  before,  and 
their  conversation  had  been  so  amusing  that  she 
longed  to  make  their  acquaintance.  Her  face  bright- 


4        KITTLE  COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

ened  expectantly  at  their  approach,  and,  as  they 
leaned  over  the  railing,  she  studied  them  with  grow- 
ing interest.  The  oldest  one  was  near  her  own 
age,  she  decided  after  a  careful  survey,  about  seven- 
teen; and  they  were  all  particular  about  the  little 
things  that  count  so  much  with  fastidious  school- 
girls. She  approved  of  each  one  of  them  from 
their  broad  silk  shoe-laces  to  the  pink  tips  of  their 
carefully  manicured  finger-nails. 

As  the  boat  swung  around  a  bend  in  the  river, 
bringing  the  castle-like  building  into  full  view,  a 
chorus  of  delighted  exclamations  broke  out  all  along 
the  deck.  The  four  girls  hung  over  the  railing  with 
eager  faces. 

"  Look,  Lloyd,  look !  "  cried  one  of  them,  ex- 
citedly. "  Peacocks  on  the  terraces !  It's  the  finish- 
ing touch  to  the  picture.  We'll  feel  like  Lady  Clare 
walking  down  those  marble  steps.  There  surely 
must  be  a  milk-white  doe  somewhere  in  the  back- 
ground." 

"  Oh,  Betty,  Betty ! "  was  the  laughing  answer. 
"  You'll  do  nothing  now  but  quote  Tennyson  and 
write  poetry  from  mawning  till  night." 

"  They're  from  Kentucky,"  thought  the  girl  in 
blue.  "  I'm  sure  of  it  from  the  way  they  talk." 

As  the  boat  glided  slowly  along,  Lloyd  threw 


WARWICK  HALL  5 

her  arm  around  the  girl  beside  her,  with  an  impul- 
sive squeeze. 

"  Kitty  Walton,"  she  exclaimed,  "  aren't  you 
glad  that  the  old  Lloydsboro  Seminary  burned 
down?  If  it  hadn't,  we  wouldn't  be  on  ouah  way 
now  to  that  heavenly-looking  boahding-school ! " 

The  sudden  hug  loosened  Kitty's  hat,  held  inse- 
curely by  one  pin,  and  in  another  instant  the  strong 
breeze  would  have  carried  it  over  into  the  river 
had  not  the  girl  in  blue  caught  it  as  it  swept  past 
her.  She  handed  it  back  with  a  friendly  smile, 
glad  of  an  opportunity  to  speak. 

"  You  are  new  pupils  for  Warwick  Hall,  aren't 
you?"  she  asked,  when  Kitty  had  laughingly 
thanked  her.  "  I  hope  so,  for  I'm  one  of  the  old 
girls.  This  will  be  my  third  year." 

"  How  perfectly  lovely ! "  exclaimed  Kitty. 
"  We've  been  fairly  crazy  to  meet  some  one  from 
there.  Do  tell  us  if  it  is  as  fine  as  it  looks,  and 
as  the  catalogue  says." 

"  It  is  the  very  nicest  place  in  the  world,"  was 
the  enthusiastic  reply.  "  There  are  hardly  any  rules, 
and  none  of  them  are  the  kind  that  rub  you  up 
the  wrong  way.  We  don't  have  to  wear  uniforms, 
and  we're  not  marched  out  to  walk  in  wholesale 
lots  like  prisoners  in  a  chain-gang." 


6        LITTLE   COLONEUS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

"  That's  what  I  used  to  despise  at  the  Seminary," 
interrupted  Lloyd.  "  I  always  felt  like  pah't  of  a 
circus  parade,  or  an  inmate  of  some  asylum,  out  for 
an  airing.  Keeping  in  step  and  keeping  in  line 
with  a  lot  of  othahs  made  a  punishment  out  of 
the  walk,  when  it  would  have  been  such  a  pleasuah 
if  we  could  have  skipped  along  as  we  pleased.  I 
felt  resentful  from  the  moment  the  gong  rang  for 
us  to  stah't.  It  had  such  a  bossy,  tyrannical  sawt  of 
sound." 

"  You'll  not  find  it  that  way  at  Warwick  Hall," 
was  the  emphatic  answer.  "  There  are  bells  for 
rising  and  chapel  and  meals,  but  the  signal  for  ex- 
ercise is  a  hunter's  horn,  blown  on  the  upper  ter- 
race. There's  something  so  breezy  and  out-of-doors 
in  the  sound  that  it  is  almost  as  irresistible  a  call 
as  the  Pied  Piper  of  Hamelin's.  You  ought  to  see 
the  doors  fly  open  along  the  corridors,  and  the  girls 
pour  out  when  that  horn  blows.  We  can  go  in 
twos  or  threes  or  squads,  any  way  we  please,  and  in 
any  direction,  so  long  as  we  keep  inside  the  grounds. 
There's  an  orchard  to  stroll  through,  and  a  wooded 
hillside,  and  a  big  meadow.  On  bad  days  there  is 
over  half  a  mile  of  gravel  road  that  runs  through 
the  grounds  to  the  trolley  station,  or  we  can  take 
our  exercise  going  round  and  round  the  garden 


WARWICK:  HALL  7 

walks.  The  garden  is  over  there  at  the  left  of  the 
Hall,"  she  explained,  waving  her  hand  toward  it. 
"  Do  you  see  that  pergola  stretching  along  the 
highest  terrace?  That  is  where  the  garden  begins, 
and  the  ivy  running  over  it  was  started  from  a  slip 
that  Madam  Chartley  brought  from  Sir  Walter 
Scott's  home  at  Abbotsford. 

"It  is  the  stateliest  old  garden  you  ever  saw, 
and  the  pride  of  the  school.  There's  a  sun-dial  in 
it,  and  hollyhocks  from  Ann  Hathaway's  cottage, 
and  rhododendrons  from  Killarney.  There's  all 
the  flowers  mentioned  in  the  old  songs.  Madam 
has  brought  slips  and  roots  and  seeds  from  all  sorts 
of  places,  so  that  nearly  every  plant  is  connected 
with  some  noted  place  or  person.  I  simply  love 
it.  In  warm  weather  I  get  up  early  in  the  morning, 
and  study  my  Latin  out  in  the  honeysuckle  arbour. 
Latin  is  my  hardest  study,  but  it  doesn't  seem  half 
so  hard  out  there  among  the  bees  and  humming- 
birds, where  it's  all  so  sweet  and  still." 

"Oh,  will  they  let  you  do  things  like  that?" 
came  the  same  amazed  question  from  all  four  at 
once. 

"  You  wait  and  see,"  was  the  encouraging  reply. 
"  That  isn't  the  beginning." 

The  four  exchanged  ecstatic  glances. 


8        LITTLE  COLONEVS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

"Oh,  we  haven't  introduced  ourselves,"  ex- 
claimed Kitty,  bethinking  herself  of  formalities. 
"  I  am  Katherine  Walton,  and  this  is  my  big  sister, 
Allison.  That  is  Lloyd  Sherman  and  Elizabeth 
Lewis.  They're  almost  as  good  as  sisters,  for  they 
live  together,  and  Lloyd's  mother  is  Betty's  god- 
mother. And  we're  all  from  the  same  place,  Lloyds- 
boro  Valley,  Kentucky." 

"  And  I  am  Juliet  Lynn  from  Wisconsin.  That 
is,  I  lived  there  till  papa  had  to  come  to  Washing- 
ton. He's  a  Congressman  now.  I  was  sure  that 
you  were  from  Kentucky,  and  I've  been  hoping  that 
you  were  new  girls  for  the  Hall  ever  since  I  heard 
you  talking  about  some  house-party  where  you  all 
did  such  funny  things." 

"  Oh,  yes,  that  was  one  we  had  this  summer  at 
The  Beeches,"  began  Kitty,  glibly,  "when  we  all 
took  turns  —  " 

But,  with  a  big-sister  frown  of  warning,  Allison 
said,  in  a  low  aside :  "  For  pity's  sake,  don't  stop 
to  tell  all  that  long  rigmarole  over  now.  We  want 
to  hear  some  more  about  the  school." 

"What  is  Madam  Chartley  herself  like?"  she 
asked,  turning  to  Juliet.  "  She  must  be  something 
of  an  old  dragon  if  she  can  keep  forty  girls  straight 
with  so  few  rules.  We've  pictured  her  as  a  big 

1 


WARWICK  HALL  9 

British  matron,  dignified  and  imposing,  —  a  sort 
of  lioness  rampant,  you  know,  with  a  stern  air,  as 
if  she  was  about  to  say  in  a  deep  voice,  *  England 
—  expects  —  every  —  man  —  to  —  do  —  his  — 
duty,  — sir!'" 

"But  she  isn't  that  way  at  all!"  cried  Juliet, 
almost  indignantly.  "  She's  just  as  American  as 
you  are,  for  she  was  born  and  educated  in  this 
country.  She  has  the  gentlest  voice  and  sweetest 
manner.  Her  hair  is  snow-white,  and  there's  some- 
thing awfully  aristocratic  about  her,  for  she  is  — 
sort  of  —  well,  I  hardly  know  how  to  express  it, 
but  just  what  you'd  expect  the  '  daughter  of  a  hun- 
dred earls'  to  be,  you  know.  But  you  won't  feel 
one  bit  in  awe  of  her.  The  girls  simply  adore 
her." 

"  But  isn't  she  something  to  be  afraid1  of  when 
you  break  the  rules?"  queried  Kitty,  anxiously. 
"When  you  have  midnight  feasts  and  pillow-case 
prowls  and  all  that?" 

Juliet  shook  her  head.  "We  3on't  'do  those 
things.  I  tell  you  it  isn't  like  any  other  boarding- 
school  you  ever  heard  of." 

"  Then  I  know  I  sha'n't  like  it,"  declared  Kitty. 
"All  my  life  I've  looked  forward  to  going  off  to 
school  just  for  the  jolly  good  times  I'd  have.  You 


10     LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

see  we  were  only  day-pupils  at  Lloydsboro  Semi- 
nary, and  there  wasn't  a  chance  for  that  kind  of 
fun,  except  the  one  term  when  Lloyd  and  Betty 
boarded  in  the  school  while  their  family  was  away 
from  home.  We  managed  to  stir  up  a  little  excite- 
ment then,  and  I'd  hoped  for  all  sorts  of  thrilling 
adventures  here.  I'm  horribly  disappointed  that 
it's  so  tame  and  goody-goody." 

Juliet's  face  coloured  resentfully.  "  It  isn't  tame 
at  all !  "  she  declared.  "  It's  only  that  we  are  always 
so  busy  doing  pleasant  things  and  going  to  interest- 
ing places  that  nobody  cares  for  stolen  spreads. 
Some  girls  don't  like  the  place  just  at  first,  because 
it's  so  different  from  what  they've  been  used  to. 
But  by  the  end  of  the  term  they're  so  in  love  with 
Warwick  Hall  and  everything  about  it  that  noth- 
ing could  induce  them  to  change  schools.  There's 
only  one  girl  I  ever  heard  of  who  didn't  like  it." 

"  And  why  didn't  she?  "  asked  Lloyd  and  Allison, 
in  the  same  breath. 

"  Well,  she  came  from  some  ranch  away  out 
West,  Wyoming  or  Nevada  or  some  of  those  places, 
where  she'd  been  as  free  and  easy  as  a  squaw,  and 
she  couldn't  stand  so  much  civilization.  You  see, 
from  the  minute  you  enter  Warwick  Hall  you  feel 
somehow  that  you're  a  guest  of  Madam  Chartley's 


WARWICK  HALL  II 

instead  of  a  pupil  She  uses  the  old  family  silver 
and  the  china  has  her  great-grandfather's  crest  on 
it,  and  she  brought  over  a  London  butler  who  grew 
up  in  the  family  service.  She  keeps  him  for  the 
same  reason  that  she  keeps  the  peacocks,  I  suppose. 
They  give  such  a  grand  air  to  the  place. 

"  Lida  Wilsy  —  that's  the  girl  from  the  ranch  — 
couldn't  live  up  to  so  much  stateliness,  especially 
of  the  stony-eyed  butler.  Hawkins  was  too  much 
for  her.  She  told  her  roommate  that  she  thought 
it  was  foolish  to  have  so  many  forks  and  spoons 
at  each  place.  One  was  enough  for  anybody  to 
get  through  a  dinner  with.  Life  was  too  short  for 
so  much  fuss  and  feathers.  She  never  could  learn 
which  to  use  first,  and  she  would  get  her  silverware 
so  hopelessly  mixed  up  that  by  the  time  dessert  was 
brought  on  maybe  she  would  have  nothing  to  eat 
it  with  but  an  oyster  fork.  I've  seen  her  ready  to 
go  under  the  table  from  embarrassment.  Not  that 
she  cared  so  much  what  the  girls  thought.  She 
joked  about  it  to  them.  Her  father  owned  the  big- 
gest part  of  a  silver  mine,  and  they  could  have  had 
Tiffany's  whole  stock  of  forks  if  they'd  wanted 
them.  It  was  Hawkins  she  was  afraid  of.  Of 
course  Jie  was  too  well  trained  to  show  what  he 
thought  of  her  mistakes,  but  you  couldn't  help  feel- 


12      LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

ing  his  high  and  mighty  inward  scorn  of  such  igno- 
rance. It  fairly  oozed  from  his  finger-tips." 

Kitty's  black  eyes  sparkled,  anticipating  times 
ahead  when  she  would  certainly  make  it  lively  for 
Hawkins. 

"There's  grandfathah ! "  cried  Lloyd,  catching 
sight  of  a  white-haired  old  gentleman  who  had 
just  come  up  on  deck.  "  I  want  to  tell  him  about 
the  garden  before  we  lose  sight  of  it." 

Juliet's  glance  followed  her  with  interest  as  she 
darted  away,  for  it  was  a  distinguished-looking 
old  gentleman  who  lifted  his  hat  with  elaborate 
courtesy  at  her  approach.  He  was  dressed  in  white 
duck,  and  the  right  coat-sleeve  hung  empty. 

"It's  Colonel  Lloyd,"  explained  Allison,  noting 
Juliet's  glance  of  curiosity.  "  He's  bringing  us  all 
to  school,  for  it  wasn't  convenient  for  mother  or 
Mrs.  Sherman  to  come." 

"They  don't  look  alike,"  remarked  Juliet,  sur- 
veying them  with  a  puzzled  expression.  "  But 
what  is  it  about  them  —  there  is  such  a  startling 
resemblance?" 

"Everybody  notices  it,"  said  Kitty.  "When 
Lloyd  was  smaller,  they  used  to  call  her  the  Little 
Colonel  all  the  time,  but  especially  when  she  was 
in  a  temper.  They  call  her  Princess  now." 


WARWICK  HALL  13 

"  Princess,"  echoed  Juliet.  "  That  name  suits 
her  exactly." 

She  cast  another  admiring  glance  at  the  slender, 
fair-haired  girl,  standing  with  her  hand  in  her 
grandfather's  arm,  pointing  out  the  beauties  of  the 
place  they  were  slowly  passing. 

"  And  she  will  suit  Warwick  Hall,"  she  added, 
with  a  sudden  burst  of  schoolgirl  enthusiasm,  "  just 
as  the  peacocks  suit  it,  and  the  coat  of  arms,  and 
Madam'  Chartley  herself.  She's  got  that  same 
'  daughter-of-a-hundred-earls '  air  about  her  that 
Madam  has." 

"  Oh,  it  all  sounds  so  delightful  and  fascinating," 
sighed  Betty,  pushing  back  the  brown  hair  that  blew 
in  little  curls  about  her  face,  and  smiling  at  the 
slowly  disappearing  Hall  with  a  happy  light  in  her 
brown  eyes.  "  I  can  hardly  wait  for  to-morrow." 

The  boat  had  glided  on  until  only  the  high, 
square  tower  was  left  in  view,  with  the  red  sunset 
glow  upon  it. 

u « The  splendour  falls  on  castle  walls 

And  snowy  summits  old  in  story*8*— 

Betty  sang  half  under  her  breath,  with  a  farewell 
flutter  of  her  'handkerchief,  as  the  boat  rounded  a 
bend  in  the  river  which  hid  the  tower  from  sight. 


14      LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

Already  she  was  in  love  with  the  place,  and  already, 
as  Lloyd  had  predicted,  she  was  fitting  some  line 
of  Tennyson  to  it  at  every  turn. 

Acquaintance  progressed  rapidly  in  the  next  half- 
hour.  Long  before  they  reached  Washington,  Ju- 
liet knew,  not  only  that  she  had  guessed  Allison's 
age  correctly  at  seventeen,  that  Betty  was  sixteen, 
and  Lloyd  and  Kitty  a  year  younger,  but  that  each 
girl  in  her  own  way  would  make  a  desirable  friend. 
Incidentally  she  learned  that  Allison  and  Kitty  had 
lived  in  the  Philippines,  and  were  daughters  of  the 
brave  General  Walton  who  had  lost  his  life  there 
in  his  country's  service.  When  they  parted  at  the 
boat-landing,  it  was  with  delightful  anticipations 
of  the  next  day,  and  with  each  one  eager  to  renew 
an  acquaintance  so  pleasantly  begun. 

If  Warwick  Hall  suggested  ancient  stateliness  on 
the  outside,  it  was  informal  and  frivolous  enough 
within,  when  forty  girls  were  taking  possession 
of  their  rooms  on  the  opening  day  of  the  school 
year.  In  and  out  like  a  flock  of  twittering  sparrows, 
the  old  pupils  'darted  from  one  room  to  another, 
exchanging  calls  and  greetings,  laughing  over  old 
jokes  and  reminiscences,  and  settling  down  into 


WARWICK  HALL  1 5 

familiar  corners  with  an  ease  that  the  new  girls 
envied. 

Juliet  Lynn,  quickly  establishing  herself  in  her 
last  year's  quarters,  started  down  the  corridor  to 
announce  at  every  door  that  she  was  the  first  one 
unpacked  and  settled.  All  the  other  rooms  were 
in  hopeless  confusion,  beds,  chairs,  and  floors  being 
piled  with  the  contents  of  open  trunks. 

At  the  first  door  where  she  paused,  a  shower  of 
shoes  and  slippers  was  the  only  answer  to  her  tri- 
umphant announcement.  At  the  next  a  laughing 
cry  of  "  Help!  help!  "  greeted  her.  At  the  third 
she  was  informed  that  there  was  standing-room 
only. 

"  Don't  you  believe  it,  Juliet !  "  called  a  gay  voice 
from  the  chiffonier,  where  an  earlier  visitor  was 
perched.  "  There's  always  room  at  the  top.  I've 
discovered  where  Min  keeps  her  butter-scotch. 
Come  in  and  have  some." 

"  No,  I'm  going  the  rounds  to  see  what  every- 
body is  about,"  she  answered.  "  You're  all  in  such 
a  mess  now,  I'd  rather  look  in  later.  I'm  one 
of  the  early  settlers,  and  have  been  in  order  for 
ages." 

"What's  the  odds  so  long  as  you're  happy?" 
called  the  girl  on  the  chiffonier.  "  Besides,  it's 


1 6      LITTLE  COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

no  better  next  door.  They'll  invite  you  to  make 
yourself  at  home  under  the  bed,  as  they  did  me. 
Come  on  back  and  tell  us  your  summer's  experi- 
ences. Min  has  had  one  dizzy  whirl  of  adventures 
after  another." 

But  Juliet  kept  on  down  the  hall.  She  wanted  to 
find  what  rooms  had  been  assigned  to  the  girls 
whom  she  had  met  the  day  before  on  the  boat,  and 
to  hear  their  first  impressions  of  Warwick  Hall. 
Presently,  through  a  half-open  door,  she  caught 
sight  of  Betty,  sitting  at  an  open  window  over- 
looking the  river.  With  chin  in  hand  and  elbows 
resting  on  the  sill,  she  was  gazing  dreamily  out  at 
the  willow-fringed  banks,  so  absorbed  in  her 
thoughts  that  she  did  not  hear  Juliet's  first  knock. 
But  at  the  second  she  started  up  and  called  cor- 
dially :  "  Oh,  I'm  so  glad  to  see  you !  Come 
in!" 

"  Why,  you're  all  unpacked  and  put  away,  too! " 
exclaimed  Juliet,  in  surprise,  looking  around  the 
orderly  room.  "  I  thought  that  I  was  the  only  one, 
but  I  see  you've  even  hung  your  pictures." 

"  Yes,  we  don't  know  any  of  the  other  girls  yet, 
so  we  didn't  lose  any  time  running  back  and  forth 
to  their  rooms,  as  everybody  else  is  doing.  We've 
been  through  ever  so  long.  Lloyd  is  out  exploring! 


WARWICK  HALL  lj 

the  grounds  with  Allison,  but  I  was  too  tired  after 
all  the  sightseeing  we  have  done.  I'd  be  glad  not 
to  stir  out  of  my  room  for  a  week." 

She  pushed  a  rocking-chair  hospitably  toward 
her  guest,  and  leaned  back  in  the  opposite  one. 

"  I  don't  want  to  sit  down,"  said  Juliet.  "  I'm 
just  exploring.  I  think  it's  so  much  fun  to  poke 
around  the  first  day  and  see  how  everybody  is  fixed. 
You  don't  mind,  do  you,  if  I  walk  around  and  look 
at  your  pictures  ?  " 

"  No,  indeed ! "  answered  Betty,  cordially. 
"  Help  yourself," 

Catching  a  glimpse  of  herself  in  the  mirror,  she 
sat  up  straight  in  her  chair,  and  adjusted  the  side- 
combs  which  were  slipping  out  of  her  curly  hair. 
It  was  a  pleasing  reflection  that  the  mirror  showed 
her,  of  a  slim  girl  in  a  linen  shirt-waist  and  a  dark 
brown  skirt  just  reaching  to  her  ankles.  But  it  held 
her  gaze  only  long  enough  for  her  to  see  that  her 
belt  was  properly  pulled  down  and  her  stock  all 
that  could  be  desired.  The  friendly  brown  eyes  and 
the  trusting  little  mouth  never  needed  readjustment. 
They  always  met  the  world  with  a  smile,  and  thus 
far  the  world  had  always  smiled  back  at  them. 

"  Last  year,"  said  Juliet,  as  she  wandered  around, 
"  the  girl  who  had  this  room  simply  plastered  the 


1 8      LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

walls  with  posters.  It  was  so  sporty-looking.  She 
had  hunting  scenes  between  these  windows,  and 
there  was  a  frieze  of  hounds  and  a  yard  of  puppies 
where  you  have  that  panel  of  photographs.  Oh, 
what  perfectly  beautiful  places !  "  she  cried,  moving 
nearer.  "  Do  tell  me  about  them.  Is  that  where 
you  live?  " 

"  Yes,  this  is  our  Lloydsboro  Valley  corner  — 
the  Happy  Valley  we  call  it,"  answered  Betty,  cross- 
ing the  room  to  point  out  the  various  places :  "  Lo- 
cust," her  home  and  Lloyd's,  a  stately  white-pillared 
mansion  at  the  end  of  a  long  locust  avenue ;  "  The 
Beeches,"  where  the  Waltons  lived;  the  vine-cov- 
ered stone  church ;  the  old  mill ;  the  post-office,  and 
a  row  of  snap  shots  showing  Lloyd  and  her 
mounted  on  their  ponies,  Tarbaby  and  Lad. 

"  What  good  times  you  must  have  there !  "  sighed 
Juliet,  presently. 

Betty  opened  a  drawer  in  the  writing-desk  and 
took  out  six  little  books,  bound  in  white  kid,  her 
initials  stamped  in  gold  on  each  cover. 

"  Just  see  how  many !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  I 
started  to  keep  a  record  of  all  my  good  times  when 
I  went  to  Lloyd's  first  house-party.  When  god- 
mother gave  me  this  volume,  number  one,  I  thought 
it  would  take  a  lifetime  to  fill  it,  but  so  many  lovely 


WARWICK  HALL  19 

things  happened  that  summer  that  it  was  full  in 
a  little  while.  Then  I  went  abroad  in  the  fall,  and 
that  trip  filled  a  volume.  Now  I  am  beginning  the 
seventh." 

Juliet  stared  at  the  pile  of  white  books  in  amaze- 
ment. "  What  a  lot  of  work !  "  she  cried.  "  Doesn't 
it  take  every  bit  of  pleasure  out  of  your  good  times, 
thinking  that  you'll  have  to  write  all  about  it  after- 
ward? I  tried  to  keep  a  diary  once,  but  it  looked 
more  like  the  report  of  a  weather  bureau  than  any- 
thing else,  and  my  small  brother  got  hold  of  it  and 
mortified  me  nearly  to  death  one  night  when  we 
had  company,  by  quoting  something  from  it.  It 
sounded  dreadfully  sentimental,  although  it  hadn't 
seemed  so  when  I  wrote  it.  That's  the  trouble  in 
keeping  a  journal,  don't  you  think  so?  You'll  often 
put  down  something  that  seems  important  at  the 
time,  but  that  sounds  silly  afterward." 

"  No,"  said  Betty,  hesitatingly.  "  I  always  enjoy 
going  back  to  read  the  first  volumes.  It's  interest- 
ing to  see  how  one  changes  from  year  to  year  in 
opinions  as  well  as  handwriting.  See  how  little 
and  cramped  the  letters  are  in  this  first  volume.  It's 
good  exercise,  and,  as  I  expect  to  write  a  book  some 
day,  every  bit  of  practice  helps." 

Betty  made  the  announcement  as  simply  as  if 


2O     LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

she  had  said  she  intended  to  darn  a  stocking  some 
day,  and  Juliet  looked  at  her  in  open-mouthed  won- 
der. She  had  never  encountered  a  girl  of  that  spe- 
cies before,  and  more  than  ever  she  felt  that  her 
friendship  would  be  worth  cultivating.  When  she 
finally  took  her  departure,  there  was  no  time  for 
any  further  tour  of  inspection,  but  she  ran  into 
several  rooms  on  the  way  back  to  her  own  to  say, 
hastily :  "  Girls,  do  all  you  can  to  get  that  Ken- 
tucky quartette  into  our  sorority !  I'll  tell  you  about 
them  later.  We  must  give  them  a  grand  rush  to- 
morrow night  at  the  old  girls'  welcome  to  the  new. 
I  hope  I'll  get  to  take  Elizabeth  Lewis.  My  decors, 
she's  a  perfect  genius!  She's  written  poems  and 
plays  that  have  been  published,  and  she's  at  work 
on  a  book!" 

As  Juliet  closed  the  door  behind  her,  Betty  took 
up  the  new  volume  in  the  series  of  little  white  rec- 
ords, and  began  turning  the  blank  pages.  Like  the 
new  school  year,  it  lay  spread  out  before  her,  white 
and  fair,  hers  to  write  therein  as  she  chose. 

"  And  I'll  try  my  hardest  to  make  it  the  best  and 
happiest  record  of  them  all,"  she  said  to  herself. 
As  she  dipped  her  pen  into  the  ink,  there  was  a 
knock  at  the  door,  and  a  white-capped  maid  looked 
in. 


WARWICK  HALL  21 

"  Madam  Chartley  would  be  pleased  to  see  you 
at  once  in  the  pink  room,  miss,"  she  announced, 
and  Betty,  much  surprised,  rose  to  answer  the  un- 
expected summons. 


CHAPTER   II. 
"THE  OLD  GIRLS'  WELCOME  TO  THE  NEW" 

As  Betty  opened  the  door,  she  ran  into  Kitty 
Walton,  who  at  sight  of  her  struck  an  attitude 
on  the  threshold,  crossing  her  hands  on  her  breast, 
and  rolling  her  eyes  upward  until  only  the  whites 
were  visible. 

"What  new  pose  is  this,  you  goose?"  laughed 
Betty,  shaking  her  gently  by  one  shoulder. 

"  Don't  laugh,"  was  the  solemn  answer.  "  This 
is  pious  resignation  to  fate."  Then  her  hands 
dropped  and  she  turned  to  Betty  tragically. 

"  I've  just  come  from  an  interview  with  Madam 
Chartley,"  she  explained.  "  And  what  do  you  think? 
That  blessed  old  soul  expects  me  to  live  up  to  the 
motto  on  her  teacups!  But  how  can  I  give  Haw- 
kins his  just  due  if  I  do?  I  had  the  loveliest  things 
planned  for  his  tormenting,  but  I'd  be  ashamed  to 
look  her  in  the  face  if  she  ever  found  me  out  after 
this  interview. 

M 


"THE   OLD   GIRLV    WELCOME"  2$ 

"  Oh,  Betty,  I  don't  want  to  renounce  the  world 
and  the  flesh  and  all  the  other  bad  things  this  early 
in  the  term,  but  I'm  afraid  that  I've  already  done  it. 
She's  laid  a  spell  on  all  of  us." 

"  Has  she  sent  for  Lloyd  and  Allison,  too  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Allison  was  the  first  victim.  She  came 
back  in  a  regular  dare-to-be-a-Daniel  mood,  arid 
announced  that  she  intended  to  start  in,  heart  and 
soul,  for  the  studio  honours  this  year.  Then  Lloyd 
had  her  turn,  and  she  came  back  looking  like  Joan 
of  Arc  when  she'd  been  listening  to  the  voices.  I 
vowed  she  shouldn't  have  that  effect  on  me,  but 
here  I  am,  perfectly  docile  as  you  see,  fangs  drawn 
and  claws  cut.  I  tremble  for  the  effect  on  you, 
sweet  innocent.  Your  wings  will  sprout  before  you 
get  back." 

Betty  laughed  and  hurried  past  her  'down  the 
stairs.  Evidently  it  was  Madam's  custom  to  make 
the  acquaintance  of  her  new  girls  in  this  way,  one 
at  a  time.  Only  fifteen  freshmen  were  admitted 
each  year,  so  it  was  possible  for  her  to  take  a  per- 
sonal interest  in  every  pupil. 

Betty's  heart  fluttered  expectantly  as  she  paused 
an  instant  in  the  door  of  the  pink  room.  Madam 
Chartley  had  looked  very  imposing  and  dignified 
as  she  presided  at  the  lunch-table  that  noon,  with 


24      LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

the  stately  Hawkins  behind  her  chair  and  the  stately 
portraits  looking  down  from  the  walls. 

She  looked  now  as  if  she  might  be  the  original 
of  one  of  these  old  portraits  herself,  as  she  sat  there 
in  the  high-backed  chair,  with  the  griffins  carved 
on  its  teakwood  frame.  Her  gray  gown  trailed 
around  her  in  graceful  folds.  There  was  a  soft 
fall  of  lace  at  wrists  and  throat,  and  her  white  hair 
had  a  sheen  like  silver  against  the  pink  brocade  with 
which  the  chair  was  upholstered. 

With  a  smile  which  seemed  to  take  Betty  straight 
into  her  confidence,  she  held  out  her  hand  and  drew 
her  to  a  seat  beside  her.  An  old-fashioned  silver 
tea-service  stood  on  a  table  at  her  elbow,  and  when 
the  maid  had  brought  hot  water,  she  busied  herself 
in  filling  a  cup  for  Betty. 

"There!"  she  said,  as  she  passed  it  to  her. 
"There's  nothing  like  a  cozy  chat  over  a  cup  of 
tea  for  warming  acquaintances  into  friends." 

Betty  wondered,  as  she  took  a  proffered  slice  of 
lemon,  if  Madam  began  all  her  interviews  in  this 
way,  and  if  she  was  to  hear  the  same  little  sermon 
about  the  crest  on  the  ancestral  teacups  that  Kitty 
had  heard.  It  certainly  was  an  interesting  crest. 
She  lifted  the  fragile  bit  of  china  for  a  closer  sur- 
vey. A  mailed  arm,  rising  out  of  a  heart,  clasped 


"  MADAM'S  CONVERSATION  LED  FAR  AWAY  FROM  THE  CREST 
AND  ITS  LESSON  " 


•'  THE    OLD   GIRLS'    WELCOME"  2$ 

a  spear  in  its  hand,  and  under  it  ran  the  motto,  "  I 
keep  tryst." 

But  Madam's  conversation  led  far  away  from 
the  crest  and  its  lesson.  At  first  it  was  about  a 
quaint  old  English  inn,  where  is  served  delicious 
toasted  scones  with  five  o'clock  tea.  When  she 
mentioned  that,  it  was  as  if  they  had  discovered 
a  mutual  friend,  for  Betty  cried  out  joytully  that 
she  had  been  there,  and  had  spent  a  long  rainy 
afternoon  in  one  of  its  rooms,  where  Scott  had  writ- 
ten many  chapters  of  "  Kenil worth."  Betty  remem- 
bered afterward  that  not  a  word  was  said  about 
school  and  its  obligations.  It  was  of  the  Old 
Curiosity  Shop  they  spoke,  arid  the  House  of 
Seven  Gables.  Madam  promised  to  show  her  the 
autographs  of  Dickens  and  Hawthorne,  which  she 
had  in  her  collection,  and  a  pen  which  had  once 
belonged  to  George  Eliot. 

Then  Betty  found  that  Madam  had  known  Miss 
Alcott,  and,  before  she  realized  what  she  was  doing, 
she  had  thrown  herself  down  impulsively  on  the 
stool  at  her  feet,  and,  with  both  hands  clasping  the 
griffin's  head  on  the  arm  of  the  high-backed  chair, 
was  asking  a  dozen  eager  questions  about  "  Little 
Women"  and  the  author  who  had  been  her  first 
inspiration  to  write. 


26      LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

Nearly  an  hour  later,  when  she  went  back  to  her 
room,  it  was  with  something  singing  in  her  heart 
that  made  her  very  solemn  and  very  happy.  It 
was  the  immortal  music  of  the  Choir  Invisible. 
She  had  been  in  the  unseen  company  of  earth's 
best  and  noblest,  and  felt  in  her  soul  that  some  day 
she,  too,  would  have  a  right  to  be  counted  in  that 
chorus,  having  done  something  really  great  and 
worth  while. 

That  evening  after  dinner  Kitty  bounced  into 
the  room  where  Allison  sat  talking  with  Lloyd  and 
Betty  during  recreation  hour. 

"To-morrow  night  there's  to  be  the  Old  Girls' 
Welcome  to  the  New !  "  she  cried.  "  Come  on  in, 
Juliet,  and  tell  them  about  it." 

Juliet  thrust  her  head  through  the  half-open  door. 

"  Haven't  time  to  stop,"  she  answered,  "  but  I'll 
tell  this  much.  It's  the  first  of  the  great  social 
functions.  Everybody  wears  her  party  clothes  and 
a  sweet  smile.  It's  the  first  lesson  of  the  year  in 
How  to  attain  Ease  under  New  and  Exacting  Con- 
ditions. No  matter  how  the  seniors  snub  you  later 
on,  in  order  to  teach  you  your  proper  place,  you'll 
all  be  birds  of  a  feather  that  one  time,  and  flock 
together  as  peaceably  as  pet  hens. 

"  Each  new  girl  has  an  escort  appointed  by  the 


"THE   OLD   GIRLS'    WELCOME"  2/ 

entertaining  committee,  who  sends  her  flowers  and 
calls  for  her  and  sees  that  her  programme  is  filled. 
So  there  are  never  any  wallflowers  the  first  night. 
No,  Allison,  it  isn't  a  dance.  The  programmes  are 
for  progressive  conversation.  Somewhere  in  the 
background  there's  a  piano  playing  waltzes  and  two- 
steps,  and  so  forth,  but  you  talk  out  the  numbers 
instead  of  dancing  them.  Changing  partners  so 
often  keeps  you  from  getting  bored,  and  strangers 
can  tell  who  is  talking  to  them,  for  there  are  the 
names  on  their  programmes.  You  can  refer  to 
that  when  anybody  comes  up  to  claim  you.  I'm 
to  take  Lloyd,  and  Sybil  Green  is  to  take  Kitty. 
I  haven't  found  out  the  other  assignments  yet.  I'll 
let  you  know  as  soon  as  I  do.  Continued  in  our 
next." 

With  an  airy  wave  of  the  hand  she  withdrew, 
leaving  them  to  an  animated  discussion  of  what 
to  wear. 

"  You  must  remember  that  this  isn't  the  only 
time  you're  to  appear  in  public,  Katherine  Walton," 
said  Allison,  severely,  when  Kitty  proposed  her  best 
array.  "  There's  to  be  a  reception  at  the  White 
House  next  week,  and  Friday  night  we're  to  go  in 
to  Washington  to  see  Jefferson  in  '  Rip  Van 
Winkle,'  and  there's  to  be  a  studio  tea  soon,  and 


28      LITTLE   COLONEL'S   CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

a  recital,  and  all  sorts  of  things.  I  saw  the  bulletin 
of  the  term's  entertainments  in  the  hall  this  eve- 
ning." 

"We'll  never  be  seen  at  those  things,"  insisted 
Kitty. 

"  We'll  scarcely  be  a  drop  in  the  bucket.  But 
to-morrow  night,  isn't  the  whole  affair  for  us? 
We'll  be  the  whole  show.  We'll  be  it,  Allison,  and 
1  it's  my  night  to  howl.'  I  intend  to  wear  my  rose- 
pink  mull  and  a  rosebud  in  my  raving  tresses,  and 
carry  the  gorgeous  spangled  fan  that  the  dear  old 
admiral  gave  me  in  Manila.  So  there ! " 

"  Then  don't  come  near  me,"  said  Allison,  with 
a  warning  shake  of  her  head,  "  for  I  am  going  to 
wear  my  cerise  crepe  de  chine.  It's  lovely  by  itself, 
but  by  the  side  of  anything  the  shade  of  your  pink 
mull  it's  the  most  hideous,  sickly  colour  you  ever 
saw.  I  wish  you'd  wear  that  pale  green  dress, 
Kitty.  You  look  sweet  in  that,  and  it  goes  so  well 
with  mine." 

"  But,  my  dear  sister,"  laughed  Kitty,  "  I  don't 
expect  to  spend  any  time  getting  acquainted  with 
you.  I'll  probably  not  be  near  you  the  whole  eve- 
ning. It's  not  expected  that,  just  because  we  are 
from  Kentucky,  we  have  to  pose  as  those  two 
devoted  creatures  on  the  State  seal,  —  stand  around 


-  THE   OLD   GIRLS'    WELCOME*  2Q 

with  our  hands  clasped,  exclaiming  '  United  we 
stand,  divided  we  fall ! '  to  every  one  that  comes 
up." 

"  Nevah  mind,  Allison,"  said  Lloyd,  laughing  at 
Kitty's  dramatic  gestures  and  her  sister's  worried 
expression.  "  I'll  play  '  State  seal '  with  you.  I 
have  a  pale  green  almost  the  shade  of  Kitty's,  and 
I'll  wear  the  coral  clasps  and  chains  that  were  Papa 
Jack's  mothah's.  He  gave  them  to  me  just  before 
I  left  home.  I'll  show  them  to  you." 

She  began  to  rummage  through  her  trunk.  Betty 
sat  looking  at  the  ceiling,  trying  to  decide  the  mo- 
mentous question  of  dress  for  herself.  Finally  she 
announced :  "  I'll  just  wear  white,  then  I'll  har- 
monize with  everybody,  and  can  run  up  to  the  first 
one  of  you  I  happen  to  see  when  I  need  a  spark 
of  courage.  I  know  I'll  be  terribly  embarrassed. 
It  makes  me  cold  right  now  to  think  of  meeting 
so  many  strangers." 

But  Betty's  courage  needed  no  reinforcing  next 
evening,  when  Maria  Overlin,  one  of  the  seniors, 
took  her  in  charge.  The  reception  took  place  in 
what  had  been  the  ballroom,  in  the  days  when  War- 
wick Hall  was  noted  for  its  brilliant  entertainments. 
Even  its  first  hostess  could  not  have  received  her 
distinguished  guests  with  courtlier  grace  than 


30      LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

Madam  Chartley  received  her  pupils,  when,  to  the 
music  of  a  stately  minuet,  they  filed  past  her  down 
the  long  line  of  teachers. 

For  once,  each  of  the  new  girls,  no  matter  how 
timid  or  inexperienced  in  social  ways,  tasted  the 
sweets  of  popularity,  and  the  four  whom  Juliet 
Lynn  had  dubbed  the  Kentucky  quartette  were  over- 
whelmed with  attentions. 

Juliet,  who  had  hoped  to  escort  Betty,  was  glad 
that  Lloyd  had  fallen  to  her  lot  when  she  saw  what 
an  admiring  little  court  flocked  around  her  wher- 
ever she  turned.  In  the  pale  green  dress,  with  its 
clasps  of  pink  coral  carved  in  the  shape  of  tiny 
butterflies,  she  looked  more  princess-like  than  ever. 
She  wore  a  bracelet  of  the  coral  butterflies  also,  and 
a  slender  circlet  of  them  about  her  throat.  They 
gave  a  soft  pink  flush  to  her  cheeks. 

No  sooner  had  she  passed  the  receiving  line  than 
she  was  surrounded  by  a  group  of  white-gowned 
girls  clamouring  for  an  introduction  and  a  place 
on  her  programme. 

"Whose  initials  are  these?"  she  whispered  to 
Juliet  presently  when  the  card  was  all  filled  and 
there  were  still  several  girls  asking  to  be  allowed 
to  write  their  names  on  it. 


"THE   OLD   GfXLS'    WELCOME"  31 

"  Couldn't  I  give  Miss  Bartlett  this  line  where 
there's  nothing  but  G.  M.  scrawled  on  it?  " 

"  Mercy,  no !  "  exclaimed  Juliet.  "  That's  for 
Gabrielle  Melville.  It  would  never  do  for  you  two 
to  miss  each  other  to-night.  I  put  them  down  for 
her,  as  she's  to  play  later  in  the  evening  on  the 
violin,  you  know,  and  I  knew  she'd  never  get  here 
in  time  to  do  it  herself.  She  always  has  such  frantic 
times  dressing.  Just  struggles  into  her  things, 
never  can  find  half  her  clothes,  and  what  she  does 
manage  to  fall  into  catches  and  rips  in  the  struggle. 
Her  hat  is  always  over  one  ear,  and  her  belts  never 
make  connection  in  the  back,  but  she's  so  adorable 
that  nobody  minds  her  wild  toilets.  They  laugh 
and  say,  '  Oh,  it's  just  Gay.'  That's  her  nickname, 
you  know.  Here's  Emily  Chapman  coming  to  claim 
you.  Emily,  you  can  tell  Lloyd  some  things  about 
Gay,  can't  you  ?  " 

"I  rather  think  so,"  laughed  Emily.  "We 
roomed  together  last  year,  and  I  got  her  again 
this  term.  It  took  a  fight,  though,  for  she's  the 
most  popular  girl  in  school." 

"Is  she  pretty?"  asked  Lloyd. 

"  We  think  so,  don't  we,  Juliet?  If  she  had  any 
enemies,  they  might  say  that  she  has  red  hair  and 
a  pug  nose.  But  that  would  be  exaggerating.  Her 


32      LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

hair  is  that  beautiful  bronzy  auburn  that  crinkles 
around  her  face  and  blows  in  her  eyes  till  she  al- 
ways seems  to  be  bringing  a  breeze  with  her." 

"And  her  nose  isn't  pug  exactly,"  chimed  in 
Juliet  "  There's  just  a  darling,  saucy  little  tip  to 
it,  that  seems  to  suit  her.  She  wouldn't  be  half  as 
pretty  with  the  approved  Gibson  girl  kind,  no  mat- 
ter how  perfect  it  was." 

"  And  her  complexion  is  so  lovely,"  Emily  re- 
sumed, enthusiastically.  "  And  her  eyes  are  a  jolly, 
laughing  kind  of  brown,  with  an  amber  sparkle  in 
them,  except  when  she  gets  into  one  of  her  intense, 
serious  moods.  Then  they  are  almost  black,  they're 
so  deep  and  velvety.  She's  never  twice  in  the  same 
mood.  Oh!  There  she  comes  now." 

A  side  door  opened,  and  a  slim  little  thing  all 
in  white,  with  a  violin  under  her  arm1  and  a  dis- 
tracted pucker  on  her  face,  hurried  up  to  the  piano. 
Nervously  feeling  her  belt  to  make  sure  that  she 
was  presentable  before  turning  her  back  on  the 
audience,  she  whispered  to  the  girl  who  was  to  play 
her  accompaniments,  and  began  tuning  the  violin. 
Then,  tucking  it  under  her  chin  as  if  she  loved  it, 
she  listened  an  instant  to  the  piano  prelude,  and 
drew  her  bow  softly  across  the  strings. 

"  Good !  "  whispered  Emily.     "  It's  that  Mexi- 


«THE  OLD  GIRLS*    WELCOME"  33 

can  swallow  song.  She  always  has  such  a  rapt 
expression  on  her  face  when  she  plays  that.  She 
makes  me  think  of  St.  Cecilia.  She's  so  earnest 
in  all  she  does.  If  it's  no  more  than  making  fudge, 
she  throws  her  whole  soul  into  it,  just  that  way. 
She's  as  intense  as  if  the  fate  of  a  nation  depended 
on  whatever  she  happens  to  be  doing." 

As  Lloyd  joined  loudly  in  the  applause  which 
followed  the  performance,  another  girl  came  up  to 
claim  her  attention.  It  was  Myra  Carr,  the  senior 
who  had  taken  Allison  under  her  wing. 

"Doesn't  Gay  play  splendidly?"  she  exclaimed,  , 
not  knowing  that  she  had  been  the  previous  topic 
of  conversation.  "  We  think  she's  a  genius.  She 
improvises  little  things  sometimes  in  the  twilight 
that  are  so  sweet  and  sad  they  make  you  cry.  Then 
she's  unconventional  enough  to  be  a  genius.  She's 
always  shocking  people  without  meaning  to,  and  so 
careless,  she'd  lose  her  head  if  nature  hadn't  at- 
tended to  the  fastenings. 

"  We  all  love  her  dearly,  but  we  vowed  the  last 
time  we  went  sightseeing  that  she  should  never  go 
with  us  again  unless  she  let  us  tie  her  up  in  a  bag, 
so  that  nothing  could  drop  out  by  the  way.  First 
she  lost  her  hat.  '  It  blew  off  the  trolley-car,  one 
of  those  '  seeing  Washington '  affairs,  you  know. 


34      LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

She  had  to  go  bareheaded  all  the  rest  of  the  way. 
Then  she  lost  her  pocketbook,  and  such  a  time  as 
we  had  hunting  that.  The  time  before,  she  lost  a 
locket  that  had  been  a  family  heirloom,  and  we 
missed  our  train  and  got  caught  in  a  shower  look- 
ing for  it." 

"  Where  does  she  live?  "  asked  Lloyd,  watching 
the  bright  face  that  was  making  its  way  toward 
them  across  the  crowded  room. 

"  At  Fort  Sam  Houston,  down  in  San  Antonio. 
Her  father  is  an  army  officer  at  that  post." 

There  was  no  time  for  further  discussion,  for 
Gabrielle  was  coming  toward  her  with  outstretched 
hand. 

"This  is  Juliet's  Princess,  isn't  it?"  she  asked, 
with  a  smile  that  captivated  Lloyd  at  once,  flashing 
over  the  whitest  of  little  teeth.  "  You're  getting  all 
sorts  of  titles  to-night.  I  heard  a  girl  speak  of  you 
as  a  mermaid  in  that  pale  sea-green  gown  and  cor- 
als, but  I've  come  over  here  on  purpose  to  call  you 
the  '  Little  Colonel.'  .  You  don't  know  how  much 
good  it  does  me  to  hear  a  military  title  once  more. 
Out  at  the  fort  it's  all  majors  and  captains  and  such 
things." 

Then,   dropping  her  grown-up  society  manner, 


"TffE  OLD   GIRLS*    WELCOME"  3$ 

she  suddenly  giggled,  turning  to  include  Emily  in 
the  conversation. 

"  Oh,  girls,  I  had  the  worst  time  getting  dressed 
this  evening  that  I  ever  had  in  my  life.  When  I 
unpacked  my  trunk  yesterday,  everything  was  so 
wrinkled  that  there  was  only  one  dress  I  could  wear 
without  having  it  pressed;  this  white  one.  So  I 
laid  it  out,  but,  when  I  went  to  put  it  on  to-night, 
I  found  that  mamma  had  made  a  mistake  in  pack- 
ing, and  put  in  Lucy's  skirt  instead.  Lucy  is  my 
older  sister,"  she  explained  to  Lloyd.  "  We  each 
had  a  dotted  Swiss  this  summer,  made  exactly  alike, 
but  Lucy  is  so  much  taller  than  I  that  her  skirts 
trail  on  me.  Just  look  how  imposing !  " 

She  swept  across  the  floor  and  back  to  show  the 
effect  of  her  trail. 

"  Of  course  there  was  nothing  to  do  at  that  late 
hour  but  pin  it  up  in  front  and  go  ahead.  I'm 
afraid  every  minute  that  I'll  trip  and  fall  all  over 
myself,  but  I  do  feel  so  dignified  when  I  feel  my 
train  sweeping  along  behind  me.  The  pins  keep 
falling  out  all  around  the  belt,  and  I  can't  help 
stepping  on  the  hem  in  front.  I  love  trains,"  she 
added,  switching  hers  forward  with  a  grand  air 
that  was  so  childlike  in  its  enjoyment  that  Lloyd 


36      LITTLE   COLO NE US   CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

felt  impelled  to  hug  her.  "  It  gives  you  such  a 
dressed-up,  peacocky  feeling." 

Then  she  looked  up  in  her  most  soulful,  intense 
way,  as  if  she  were  asking  for  important  informa- 
tion. "  Do  you  know  whether  it's  true  or  not  ? 
Does  a  peacock  stop  strutting  if  it  happens  to  see 
its  feet?  My  old  nurse  told  me  that,  and  said  that 
it  shows  that  pride  always  goes  before  a  fall.  I 
never  was  where  they  kept  peacocks  before  I  came 
to  Warwick  Hall,  and  I've  spent  hours  watching 
Madam's  to  see  if  it  is  true.  But  they  are  always 
so  busy  strutting,  I've  never  been  able  to  catch 
them  looking  at  their  feet." 

She  glanced  at  her  own  feet  as  she  spoke,  then 
gasped  and,  covering  her  face  with  her  hands,  sank 
limply  into  a  chair  in  the  corner  behind  her. 

"What's  the  matter?"  cried  Juliet,  alarmed  by 
the  sudden  change. 

"  Look!  Oh,  just  look!"  was  the  hysterical  an- 
swer, as  she  thrust  out  both  feet,  and  sat  pointing 
at  them  tragically,  with  fingers  and  thumbs  of  both 
hands  outspread. 

"  No  wonder  they  felt  queer.  I  was  so  intent  on 
getting  my  dress  pinned  up,  and  in  rushing  out  in 
time  to  play,  that  I  couldn't  take  time  to  analyze 
my  feelings  and  discover  the  cause  of  the  queerness. 


"THE   OLD   GIRLS1    WELCOME"  37 

Madeline  blew  in  at  a  critical  point  to  borrow  a  pin, 
and  that  threw  me  off,  I  suppose." 

From  under  the  white  skirt  protruded  two  feet 
as  unlike  as  could  well  be  imagined.  One  was  cased 
in  dainty  white  kid,  the  other  in  an  old  red  felt 
bedroom  slipper,  edged  with  black  fur. 

"  And  it  would  have  been  all  the  same,"  sighed 
Gay,  "if  I  had  been  going  to  an  inaugural  ball 
to  hobnob  with  crowned  heads.  And  I  had  hoped 
to  make  such  a  fine  impression  on  the  Little  Colo- 
nel," she  added,  in  a  plaintive  tone,  with  a  childlike 
lifting  of  the  face  that  Lloyd  thought  most  charm- 
ing. 

If  the  mistake  had  been  made  by  any  other  girl 
in  the  school,  it  would  not  have  seemed  half  so 
ridiculous,  but  whatever  Gay  did  was  irresistibly 
funny.  A  laughing  crowd  gathered  around  her, 
as  she  sat  with  the  red  slipper  and  the  white  one 
stretched  stiffly  out  in  front  of  her,  bewailing  her 
fate. 

"  Anyhow,"  she  remarked,  "  I'll  always  have  the 
satisfaction  of  knowing  that  I  put  my  best  foot  fore- 
most, and  if  they  had  been  alike  I  couldn't  have 
done  that.  Now  could  I  ?  "  And  the  girls  laughed 
again,  because  it  was  Gay  who  said  it  in  her  own 
inimitable  way,  and  because  the  old  felt  slipper 


38      LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

looked  so  ridiculous  thrust  out  from  under  the 
dainty  white  gown.  As  others  came  crowding  up 
to  see  what  was  causing  so  much  merriment  in  that 
particular  corner,  Gay  attempted  to  slip  out  and  go 
to  her  room  to  correct  her  mistake.  But  Sybil 
Green,  pushing  through  the  outer  ring,  came  up 
with  Allison  and  Kitty. 

"  Gay,"  she  began,  "  here  are  the  girls  that  you 
especially  wanted  to  meet :  General  Walton's  daugh- 
ters." 

Gay's  face  flushed  with  pleasure,  and,  forgetting 
her  errand,  she  impulsively  stretched  out  a  hand  to 
each,  and  held  them  while  she  talked. 

"  Oh,  I'm  so  glad  to  meet  you!  "  she  cried.  "  I 
wish  that  I  had  known  that  you  girls  were  here 
yesterday  before  papa  left.  He  is  Major  Melville, 
and  he  was  such  a  friend  of  your  father's.  He 
was  on  that  long  Indian  campaign  with  him  in 
Arizona,  and  I've  heard  him  talk  of  him  by  the 
hour.  And  last  week  "  —  here  she  lowered  her 
voice  so  that  only  Allison  and  Kitty  heard,  and 
were  thrilled  by  the  sweet  seriousness  of  it.  "  Last 
week  he  took  me  out  to  Arlington  to  carry  a  great 
wreath  of  laurel.  When  he'd  laid  it  on  the  grave, 
he  stood  there  with  bared  head,  looking  all  around, 
and  I  heard  him  say,  in  a  whisper,  '  No  one  in  all 


"THE   OLD   GIRLS'    WELCOME*  39 

Arlington  has  won  his  laurels  more  bravely  than 
you,  my  captain.'  You  see  it  was  as  a  captain  that 
papa  knew  him  best.  He  would  have  been  so 
pleased  to  have  seen  you  girls." 

Kitty  squeezed  the  hand  that  still  held  hers  and 
answered,  warmly :  "  Oh,  you  dear,  I  hope  we'll 
be  as  good  friends  as  our  fathers  were ! "  And 
Allison  answered,  winking  back  the  tears  that  had 
sprung  to  her  eyes :  "  Thank  you  for  telling  us 
about  the  laurel.  Mother  will  appreciate  it  so 
much." 

While  this  conversation  was  going  on  at  Lloyd's 
elbow,  Betty  came  up  to  her  on  the  other  side. 
"  Please  see  if  my  dress  is  all  right  in  the  back," 
she  whispered.  "  It  feels  as  if  it  were  unfastened." 
Then,  as  Lloyd  assured  her  it  was  properly  but- 
toned, she  added,  in  an  undertone :  "  Have  you  met 
Maud  Minor?  She's  one  of  the  new  girls." 

Lloyd  shook  her  head. 

"  Then  I'm  going  to  introduce  you  as  soon  as  I 
can.  She  knows  Malcolm  Maclntyre." 

"  Knows  Malcolm !  "  exclaimed  Lloyd,  in  amaze- 
ment. "  Where  on  earth  did  she  ever  meet  him  ?  " 

"  At  the  seashore  last  summer.  She  can't  talk 
about  anything  else.  She  thinks  he  is  so  handsome 
and  has  such  beautiful  manners  and  is  so  adorably 


4O      LITTLE  COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

romantic.  Those  are  her  very  words.  She  has 
his  picture.  Evidently  he  has  talked  to  her  about 
you,  for  she's  so  curious  to  know  you.  She  asked 
a  string  of  questions  that  I  thought  were  almost 
impertinent." 

"Where  is  she?"  asked  Lloyd. 

"  There,  that  girl  in  white  crossing  the  room 
with  the  fat  one  in  lavender." 

Lloyd  gave  a  long,  critical  look,  and  then  said, 
slowly :  "  She's  the  prettiest  girl  in  the  room,  and 
she  makes  me  think  of  something  I've  read,  but 
I  can't  recall  it." 

"I  know,"  said  Betty,  "but  you'll  laugh  at  me 
if  I  say  Tennyson  again.  It's  from  '  Maud  '  — 

<* '  I  kissed  her  slender  hand. 
She  took  the  kiss  sedately. 
Maud  is  not  seventeen, 
But  she  is  tall  and  stately.' 

"But  she  is  not  as  sedate  as  she  looks,"  added 
Betty,  truthfully.  "  I'd  like  her  better  if  she  didn't 
gush.  That's  the  only  word  that  will  express  it. 
And  it  seemed  queer  for  her  to  take  me  into  her 
confidence  the  minute  she  was  introduced.  Right 
away  she  gave  me  to  understand  that  she'd  had  a 
sort  of  an  affair  with  Malcolm.  She  didn't  say 
so  in  so  many  words,  but  she  gave  me  the  impres- 


"  THE   OLD   GIRLS'    WELCOME"  4! 

sion  that  he  had  been  deeply  interested  in  her,  in 
a  romantic  way,  you  know." 

Lloyd  looked  at  Maud  again,  more  critically  this 
time,  and  with  keener  interest.  Then  .her  thoughts 
flew  back  to  the  churchyard  stile  where  they  had 
paused  in  their  gathering  of  Christmas  greens  one 
winter  day.  For  an  instant  she  seemed  to  see  the 
handsome  boy  looking  down  at  her,  begging  a  token 
of  the  Princess  Winsome,  and  saying,  in  a  low 
tone,  "  I'll  be  whatever  you  want  me  to  be,  Lloyd." 

Juliet's  voice  broke  in  on  her  reverie.  "  Miss 
Sherman,  allow  me  to  present  Miss  Minor." 

Maud  was  slightly  taller  than  Lloyd,  but  it  was 
not  her  extra  inches  alone  which  seemed  to  give  her 
the  air  of  looking  down  on  every  one.  It  was  her 
patronizing  manner.  Lloyd  resented  it.  Instinct- 
ively she  drew  herself  up  and  responded  somewhat 
haughtily. 

"  My  dear,  I've  been  simply  dying  to  meet  you," 
began  Maud,  effusively.  "  Ever  since  I  found  out 
that  you  were  the  girl  Malcolm  Maclntyre  used  to 
be  so  fond  of." 

Lloyd  responded  coldly,  certain  that  Malcolm  had 
not  discussed  their  friendship  in  a  way  to  warrant 
this  outburst  from  a  stranger. 

"Do  you  know  his  brothah  Keith,  too?"  she 


42      LITTLE  COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

asked.  "We're  devoted  to  both  the  boys.  You 
might  say  we  grew  up  togethah,  for  they  visited 
in  the  Valley  so  much.  We've  been  playmates  since 
we  were  babies.  You  must  meet  the  Walton  girls. 
They  are  Malcolm's  cousins,  you  know." 

Before  Maud  realized  how  it  came  about,  Lloyd 
had  graciously  turned  her  over  to  Allison  and  Kitty, 
and  made  her  escape  with  burning  cheeks  and  a 
resentful  feeling.  Maud's  words  kept  repeating 
themselves :  "  So  adorably  romantic.  The  girl 
Malcolm  used  to  be  so  fond  of !  "  They  made  her 
vaguely  uncomfortable.  She  wondered  why. 

For  another  hour  she  went  on  making  acquaint- 
ances and  adding  to  her  store  of  information  about 
Warwick  Hall.  They  couldn't  have  chafing-dishes 
in  their  rooms,  one  frivolous  sophomore  told  her. 
The  insurance  companies  objected  after  one  girl 
spilled  a  bottle  of  alcohol  and  set  fire  to  the  cur- 
tains. But  once  a  week  those  who  pined  for  candy 
could  make  it  over  the  gas-stove  in  the  Domestic 
Science  kitchen.  Those  who  were  too  lazy  to  make 
it  could  buy  it  Monday  afternoons  from  Mammy 
Easter,  an  old  coloured  woman  who  lived  in  a  cabin 
on  the  place.  She  was  famous  for  her  pralines, 
the  sophomore  declared.  "  We  have  jolly  charades 
and  impromptu  tableaux  up  in  the  gymnasium 


"THE  OLD   GIRLS'    WELCOME"  43 

sometimes.  Oh,  school  at  the  Hall  is  one  grand 
lark!" 

"  Don't  you  believe  it,"  said  the  spectacled  junior 
who  monopolized  Lloyd  next.  "  It's  a  hard  dig  to 
keep  up  to  the  mark  they  set  here.  But  I  must  say 
it  is  an  agreeable  kind  of  a  dig,"  she  added. 

"  It's  good  just  to  wake  up  in  the  morning  and 
know  there's  going  to  be  another  whole  day  of  it. 
The  classes  are  so  interesting,  and  the  teachers  so 
interested  in  us,  that  they  bring  out  the  very  best 
in  everybody  Even  a  grasshopper  would  have  its 
ambition  aroused  if  it  stayed  in  this  atmosphere 
long." 

She  peered  at  Lloyd  through  her  glasses  as  if 
to  satisfy  herself  that  she  would  be  understood, 
and  then  added,  confidentially :  "  I  can  fairly  feel 
myself  grow  here.  I  feel  the  way  I  imagine  the 
morning-glories  do  when  they  find  themselves 
climbing  up  the  trellis.  They  just  stretch  out  their 
hands  and  everything  helps  them  up,  —  the  sun 
and  the  soil,  the  wind  and  the  dew.  And  here  at 
Warwick  Hall  there's  so  much  to  help.  Even  the 
little  glimpses  we  get  over  the  garden  wall  into  the 
outside  world  of  Washington,  with  its  politics  and 
great  men.  But  those  two  people  over  there  help 
me  most  of  all."  She  nodded  toward  Madam 


44      LITTLE   COLONEDS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

Chartley  and  Miss  Chilton,  the  teacher  of  English, 
who  were  now  seated  together  on  a  sofa  near  the 
door. 

"  When  I  look  at  them  I  feel  that  the  morning- 
glory  vine  must  climb  just  as  high  as  it  possibly 
can,  and  shake  out  a  wealth  of  bells  in  return  for 
all  that  has  been  given  toward  its  growth.  Don't 
you  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Lloyd,  slightly  embarrassed  by 
the  soulful  gaze  turned  on  her  through  the  spec- 
tacles. "  Betty  would  enjoy  knowing  you,"  she 
exclaimed.  "  She  is  always  saying  and  writing 
such  things." 

"  Oh,  I  thought  that  you  were  the  one  that 
writes,"  answered  the  junior.  "  Aren't  you  the 
one  the  freshmen  are  going  to  elect  class  editor 
for  their  page  of  the  college  paper?  " 

"  No,  indeed !  "  protested  Lloyd,  laughing  at  the 
idea.  "  Come  across  the  room  with  me  and  I'll  find 
Betty  for  you." 

"  There  won't  be  time  to-night,"  responded  the 
junior,  "  for  there  goes  the  music  that  means  good 
night.  They  always  play  '  America  '  as  a  signal 
that  it's  time  to  go." 

"  What  makes  you  so  quiet  ? "  asked  Betty,  a 
little  later,  as  they  slowly  undressed.  She  had  chat- 


"TffE   OLD   GIRLS'    WELCOME*  45 

tered  along,  commenting  on  the  events  of  the  eve- 
ning, ever  since  they  came  to  their  room,  but  Lloyd 
had  seemed  remarkably  unresponsive. 

"  Oh,  nothing,"  yawned  Lloyd.  "  I  was  just 
thinking  of  that  fairy-tale  of  the  three  weavers.  I'll 
turn  out  the  light." 

As  she  reached  up  to  press  the  electric  button, 
she  thought  again,  for  the  twentieth  time,  "  I  won- 
der what  it  was  that  Malcolm  told  Maud  Minor." 
Then  she  nestled  down  among  the  pillows,  saying, 
sleepily,  to  herself :  "  Anyway,  I'm  mighty  glad 
that  I  nevah  gave  him  that  curl  he  begged  for." 


CHAPTER  III. 

AN    EXCURSION 

IT  was  a  Sabbath  afternoon  in  October,  sunny 
and  still,  with  a  purple  haze  resting  on  the  distant 
woodlands  across  the  river.  A  warm  odour  of  ripe 
apples  floated  across  the  old  peach  orchard,  for  a 
few  rare  pippin-trees  stood  in  its  midst,  flaunting 
the  last  of  their  fruitage  from  gnarled  limbs,  or 
hiding  it  in  the  sear  grass  underneath. 

Here  and  there  groups  of  bareheaded  girls  wan- 
dered in  the  sun-flecked  shade,  exchanging  confi- 
dences and  stooping  now  and  then  to  pounce  joy- 
fully upon  some  apple  that  had  hitherto  evaded 
discovery.  Betty,  who  had  been  reading  aloud  for 
nearly  an  hour  to  a  little  group  under  one  of  the 
largest  trees,  closed  her  book  with  a  yawn.  Lloyd 
and  Kitty  leaned  lazily  back  against  the  mossy 
trunk,  and  Allison,  with  her  arms  around  her  knees, 
gazed  dreamily  across  the  river.  The  only  one 
who  did  not  seem  to  have  fallen  under  the  drowsy 
46 


AN  EXCURSION  47 

spell  of  the  Indian  summer  afternoon  was  Gay. 
Up  in  the  tree  above  them,  she  lay  stretched  out 
along  a  limb,  peering1  down  through  the  leaves  like 
a  saucy  squirrel. 

"What  a  Sleepy  Hollow  tale  that  was!"  she 
exclaimed.  "  It  just  suits  the  day,  but  it  has  hyp- 
notized all  of  you.  Do  wake  up  and  be  sociable." 

She  began  breaking  off  bits  of  twigs  and  drop- 
ping them  down  on  the  heads  below.  One  struck 
Lloyd's  ear,  and  she  brushed  it  off  impatiently, 
thinking  it  was  a  bug.  Gay  laughed  and  began 
teasingly : 

"  There  was  a  young  maiden  named  Lloyd, 
Whom  reptiles  always  annoyed. 
An  innocent  worm  would  cause  her  to  squirm, 
And  cloyed  —  toyed  —  employed  — 

I'm  stuck,  Betty.  Come  to  the  rescue  with  a 
rhyme." 

"  So  with  germicide  she's  overjoyed,"  supplied 
Betty,  promptly. 

"  That's  all  right,"  said  Kitty,  waking  up. 
"  Let's  each  make  a  Limerick.  Five  minutes  is 
the  limit,  and  the  one  that  hasn't  his  little  verse 
ready  when  the  time  is  up  will  have  to  answer  truth- 
fully any  question  the  others  agree  to  ask." 

"  No,"  objected  Lloyd.     "  I'd  be  suah  to  be  it 


48      LITTLE  COLONEUS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

I  can  make  the  rhymes,  but  the  lines  limp  too  dread- 
fully for  any  use." 

"  We  won't  count  that,"  promised  Kitty,  looking 
at  her  chatelaine  watch.  "  Now,  one,  two,  three ! 
Fire  away ! " 

There  was  silence  for  a  little  space,  broken  only 
by  the  soft  cooing  of  a  far-away  dove.  Then  Betty 
looked  up  with  a  satisfied  smile.  The  anxious 
pucker  smoothed  out  of  Lloyd's  forehead,  and  Alli- 
son nodded  her  readiness. 

"  Lloyd  first,"  called  Kitty,  looking  at  her  watch 
again. 

A  mischievous  smile  brought  the  dimples  to  the 
Little  Colonel's  face  as  she  began: 

«  There's  a  girl  in  our  school  called  Kitty, 
Evidently  not  from  the  city. 
With  screeches  and  squawkin's 
She  upset  the  nerves  of  poah  old  Hawkins. 
Oh,  her  behaviour  was  not  at  all  pretty." 

A  burst  of  laughter  greeted  Lloyd's  attempt  at 
verse-making,  for  the  subject  which  she  had  chosen 
recalled  one  of  Kitty's  outbreaks  the  first  week  of 
school,  when  the  temptation  to  upset  Hawkins's 
dignity  was  more  than  she  could  resist.  No  one 
of  them  who  had  seen  Hawkins's  wild  exit  from 
the  linen  closet  the  night  she  hid  on  the  top  shelf, 


AN  EXCURSION  49 

and  raised  his  hair  with  her  blood-curdling  moans 
and  spectral  warnings  (having  blown  out  his  candle 
from  above),  could  think  of  the  occurrence  without 
laughing  till  the  tears  came  to  their  eyes. 

"Now,  Allison,"  said  Kitty,  when  the  final  giggle 
had  died  away.  "  It's  your  turn."  Allison  referred 
to  the  lines  she  had  scribbled  on  the  back  of  a  mag- 
azine: 

u  There  is  a  young  maiden,  they  say, 
Who  grows  more  beloved  every  day. 
When  we  talk  or  we  ramble,  there's  always  a  scramble 
To  be  next  to  the  maid  who  is  Gay" 

"Whew!  Thanks  awfully!"  came  the  embar- 
rassed exclamation  from  the  boughs  above,  and 
Betty  cried,  in  surprise :  "  Why,  I  wrote  about  her, 
too.  I  said: 

"  Like  the  bow  on  the  strings  when  she  plays, 
So  she  crosses  with  music  our  days. 
Our  hearts  doth  she  tune  to  the  gladness  of  June, 
And  the  smile  that  brings  sunshine  is  Gay's." 

"My  dear,  that's  no  Limerick,  that's  poet*/!" 
exclaimed  Kitty,  and  Gay_  called  down :  "It's  aw- 
fully nice  of  you,  girls,  but  please  change  the  sub- 
ject. I'm  so  covered  with  confusion  that  I'm  about 
to  fall  off  this  limb." 


50      LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

"  Well,  here's  something  mean  enough  to  brace 
you  up,"  answered  Kitty.  "  It's  about  Maud 
Minor.  It's  hateful  of  me  to  write  it,  but  I  happened 
to  see  her  going  down  the  terrace  steps  and  it  just 
popped  into  my  head: 

"  There  is  a  young  lady  named  Maud, 
Whose  manners  are  overmuch  thawed. 
She'll  beat  an  oil-well.    When  they'd  gushed  for  a  spell 
//  would  take  a  back  seat  and  applaud." 

"What's  the  matter,  Kitty?"  asked  Betty,  "I 
thought  you  admired  her  immensely." 

"  I  did  that  first  week,  but  it's  just  as  I  say. 
She  gushes  over  me  so,  simply  because  I  am  Mal- 
colm's cousin.  I  know  very  well  that  I  am  not 
the  dearest,  cutest,  brightest,  most  beautiful  and 
angelic  being  in  the  universe,  and  she  isn't- sincere 
when  she  insists  that  I  am.  She  overdoes  it,  and 
is  so  dreadfuly  effusive  that  I  want  to  run  when- 
ever she  comes  near  me.  I  wish  she  wasn't  going 
on  the  excursion  to-morrow." 

"  She  doesn't  worry  me,"  said  Gay.  "  I  meet 
her  on  her  own  ground  and  fire  back  her  own  ad- 
jectives at  her,  doubled  and  twisted.  She  has  let 
me  alone  for  some  time." 

The  discussion  of  Maud  led  their  thoughts  away 
from  Gay's  Limerick,  and  Kitty  forgot  to  ask  for 


AN  EXCURSION  5 1 

it.  They  sat  in  silence  again,  and  the  plaintive  call- 
ing of  the  dove  sounded  several  times  before  any 
one  spoke. 

"It's  so  sweet  and  peaceful  here,"  said  Betty, 
softly.  "  It  makes  me  think  of  Lloydsboro  Valley. 
I  could  shut  my  eyes  and  almost  believe  I  was  back 
in  the  old  Seminary  orchard." 

"  I'm  glad  we're  not,"  said  Allison.  "  For  then 
we'd  miss  to-morrow's  excursion.  And  I  like  hav- 
ing our  holiday  on  Monday  instead  of  Saturday, 
as  we  did  there." 

"  What  excursion  are  you  talking  about  ?  "  asked 
Gay,  lazily  swinging  her  foot  over  the  limb. 

Betty  explained.  "  We're  going  to  see  some  rare 
old  books  and  illuminated  manuscripts.  Miss  Chil- 
ton  has  a  friend  in  Washington  who  has  one  of 
the  finest  private  collections  in  the  country,  and 
she  offered  to  take  any  of  the  freshman  class  who 
cared  to  go.  Ten  of  us  have  accepted  the  invita- 
tion. We're  going  to  the  Congressional  Library 
in  the  morning,  take  lunch  at  some  restaurant,  and 
then  call  on  this  lady  early  in  the  afternoon.  It 
will  be  the  only  chance  to  see  them,  as  she  is  going 
abroad  very  soon,  and  the  house  will  be  closed  for 
the  winter." 

"  There  are  other  things  in  the  collection  besides 


52     LITTLE    COLONELS  CHRISTMAS   VACATION 

books,"  said  Allison  "  Some  queer  old  musical  in- 
struments, —  a  harpsichord  and  a  lute,  and  an  old 
violin  worth  its  weight  in  gold.  Some  of  the 
most  noted  violinists  in  the  world  have  played 
on  it." 

"  Oh,  I  know  ? "  cried  Gay,  raising  herself  to 
a  sitting  position  and  throwing  away  the  core  of 
the  apple  she  had  been  eating.  "  That's  the  excur- 
sion I  missed  last  year  when  I  sprained  my  ankle. 
I  never  was  so  disappointed  in  my  life.  I'm  going 
right  now  to  ask  Miss  Chilton  to  take  me,  too. 
I'm  wild  to  get  my  fingers  on  that  violin." 

Swinging  lightly  down  from  the  limb  to  the 
ground,  she  twisted  around  like  a  contortionist  in 
a  vain  attempt  to  see  her  back. 

"  There !  "  she  exclaimed,  feeling  her  belt  with 
a  sigh  of  relief.  "  For  a  wonder  there's  nothing 
torn  or  busted  this  trip.  I  must  be  reforming. 
Girls,  what  do  you  think!  I  haven't  lost  a  single 
thing  for  a  whole  week." 

"  Don't  brag,"  warned  Lloyd.  "  Mom  Beck 
would  say  you'd  bettah  scratch  on  wood  if  you 
don't  want  yoah  luck  to  change." 

Gay  shrugged  her  shoulders  at  the  superstition, 
but  she  reached  over  and  lightly  scratched  the  pencil 
thrust  through  Betty's  curly  hair. 


AN  EXCURSION  53 

"There  goes  the  first  bell  for  vespers,"  said 
Kitty,  as  they  strolled  slowly  back  toward  the  Hall, 
five  abreast  and  arm  in  arm.  With  one  accord  they 
began  to  hum  the  hymn  with  which  the  service 
always  opened,  —  "  Day  is  dying  in  the  west." 

"  It's  going  to  be  a  fair  day  to-morrow,"  prophe- 
sied Gay,  pausing  an  instant  on  the  chapel  steps. 
"  There's  Miss  Chilton.  I'll  run  over  and  ask  her 
now." 

"  It's  all  right,"  she  whispered  several  minutes 
later,  when  she  slipped  into  the  seat  next  Lloyd. 
"  I  can  go.  It'll  be  the  greatest  kind  of  a  lark." 

As  Sybil  Green  passed  through  the  hall  next 
morning,  where  the  excursionists  were  assembling, 
Gay  stopped  her  and  began  slowly  revolving  on 
her  heels.  "  Now  view  me  with  a  critic's  eye,"  she 
commanded.  "  Gaze  on  me  from  chapeau  to  shoe 
sole,  and  bear  witness  that  I  am  properly  girded 
up  for  the  occasion.  See  how  severely  neat  and 
plain  I  am.  See  how  beautifully  my  belts  make  con- 
nection in  the  back.  Three  big,  stout  safety-pins 
will  surely  keep  my  skirt  and  shirt-waist  together 
till  nightfall,  and  there's  not  a  thing  about  me  that 
I  can  possibly  lose." 

She  was  still  turning  around  and  around.  "  Not 
a  watch,  ring,  pin,  or  bangle!  Not  even  a  pocket- 


54     LITTLE    COLONEL'S   CHRISTMAS    VACATION 

book.  Miss  Chilton  is  carrying  my  car-fare,  and 
my  handkerchief  is  up  my  sleeve." 

"  You  might  lose  your  balance  or  your  presence 
of  mind,"  laughed  Sybil.  "  You'll  have  to  watch 
her,  girls.  How  spick  and  span  you  all  look,"  she 
added,  as  they  trooped  past,  behind  Miss  Chilton, 
most  of  them  in  freshly  laundered  shirt-waist  suits, 
for  the  Indian  summer  day  was  as  warm  and  sunny 
as  June. 

"  It  would  be  just  about  Gay's  luck  to  run  into 
a  watering-cart  or  lean  up  against  a  freshly  painted 
door,  in  that  pretty  pongee  suit,"  she  thought, 
watching  them  out  of  sight. 

But  for  once  Gay's  lucky  star  was  in  the  ascend- 
ant. The  trip  to  the  library  left  her  without  spot 
or  wrinkle,  and  as  she  followed  Miss  Chilton  into 
the  restaurant  she  could  not  help  smiling  at  her 
reflection  in  the  mirror.  It  looked  so  trim  and  neat. 

The  restaurant  was  crowded.  The  waiters  rushed 
back  and  forth,  balancing  their  great  trays  on  their 
finger-tips  in  a  reckless  way  that  made  Gay  dodge 
every  time  they  passed. 

"  Oh,  you  needn't  laugh,"  she  exclaimed,  when 
some  one  jokingly  called  attention  to  her.  "  I'm 
born  to  trouble;  and  I  have  a  feeling  that  some- 
thing is  going  to  happen  before  the  day  is  over." 


AN  EXCURSION  55 

Something  did  happen  almost  immediately,  but 
not  to  Gay.  Two  of  the  pompous  coloured  men 
collided  just  as  they  were  passing  Miss  Chilton's 
table.  One  tray  dropped  to  the  floor  with  a  tre- 
mendous crash  of  breaking  dishes.  The  other  was 
caught  dexterously  in  mid-air,  but  not  before  its 
contents  had  turned  a  somersault  and  wrought  ruin 
all  around  it.  A  bowl  of  tomato  soup  splashed  over 
Lloyd's  immaculate  shirt-waist  and  ran  in  two  long 
red  streaks  across  the  shoulders  of  her  duck  jacket, 
which  she  had  hung  on  her  chair-post.  Her  little 
gasp  of  dismay  was  followed  by  one  from  Maud 
Minor,  whose  dainty  gray  silk  waist  was  spattered 
plentifully  with  coffee. 

There  was  a  profusion  of  apologies  from  the 
waiters  and  a  momentary  confusion  as  the  wreck 
was  cleared  away.  In  the  midst  of  it,  Miss  Chil- 
ton  was  pleased  and  gratified  to  hear  a  low-pitched 
voice  at  the  table  behind  her  say :  "  Those  are  War- 
wick Hall  girls.  I  recognize  their  chaperon,  but 
I  would  have  known  them  anywhere  from  the  lady- 
like way  they  treated  the  affair.  So  quiet  and  self- 
controlled,  not  a  bit  of  fuss  or  excitement,  and  it 
probably  means  that  the  day's  outing  will  be  spoiled 
for  two  of  them." 


56     LITTLE    COLONEUS   CHRISTMAS    VACATION 

The  girls  proceeded  with  their  dessert,  but  Miss 
Chilton  sat  considering1. 

"  If  you  girls  were  only  familiar  with  the  city," 
she  said  at  last,  looking  at  her  watch,  "  I  could 
let  you  go  to  some  shop  and  get  new  shirt-waists, 
and  you  could  meet  me  at  my  friend's  afterward. 
But  even  if  you  could  find  your  way  to  the  shop, 
I  would  be  afraid  to  risk  your  finding  her  house. 
You  would  have  to  change  cars  and  walk  a  block 
after  leaving  the  last  one.  I  must  keep  my  engage- 
ment with  her  promptly,  for  she  is  an  extremely 
busy  woman,  and  has  granted  this  view  of  her 
library  as  a  personal  favour  to  me." 

"Do  let  me  take  them,  Miss  Chilton,"  urged 
Gay,  eagerly.  "  I'm  the  only  old  girl  in  the  crowd. 
I  learned  my  way  all  about  town  during  last  Christ- 
mas vacation.  We  could  meet  you  in  time  to  see 
part  of  the  things.  All  I  care  for  is  that  violin. 
Please  say  yes.  I'll  be  the  strictest,  most  dignified 
chaperon  you  ever  heard  of." 

Miss  Chilton  laughed  at  the  expression  of  feroc- 
ity which  Gay's  face  suddenly  assumed  to  convince 
her  that  she  could  play  the  part  she  begged  for. 

"  Really  that  seems  to  be  the  only  way  out  of 
tKe  difficulty,"  she  answered.  "  I'll  give  you  a  note 
to  the  department  store  which  Madam  Chartley 


AN  EXCURSION  57 

always  patronizes,  so  that  you  can  have  your  pur- 
chases charged." 

"  What  if  we  can't  find  anything  to  fit,"  sug- 
gested Maud,  "  and  it  should  take  such  a  long  time 
to  alter  them  that  we'd  be  too  late  to  meet  you  ?  " 

Miss  Chilton  considered  again.  "  It's  almost 
preposterous  to  imagine  that,  but  it  is  always  well 
to  provide  for  every  emergency.  If  anything  un- 
foreseen should  happen  to  delay  you,  or  you  can't 
find  the  proper  things  to  make  yourselves  present- 
able, just  go  to  the  station  and  take  the  first  car 
back  to  the  school.  I'll  inquire  of  the  ticket  agent, 
and  if  you've  left  a  card  saying  '  gone  on/  I'll 
know  that  you  are  safe.  If  you've  left  no  word, 
I'll  put  these  girls  on  the  car  for  home,  and  come 
back  and  institute  a  search  for  you." 

While  the  others  busied  themselves  with  finger- 
bowls,  she  wrote  a  hasty  note  on  a  leaf  torn  from 
her  memorandum  book,  which  she  gave  to  Maud. 
Then  she  handed  a  card  to  Gay. 

"  You  are  the  pilot,  so  here  is  my  friend's  ad- 
dress on  this  card.  I've  marked  the  line  of  cars 
you're  to  take,  and  the  avenue  where  you  change." 

"  Better  let  Lloyd  take  it,"  suggested  Kitty.  But, 
with  a  saucy  grimace,  Gay  folded  it  and  slipped 
it  under  her  belt. 


58     LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS   VACATION 

"  There !  "  she  said,  fastening  it  with  a  big  black 
pin  she  borrowed  from  Allison.  "  I've  woven  that 
pin  in  and  out,  first  in  the  ribbon  and  then  through 
the  card,  till  it's  as  tight  as  if  it  had  grown  there." 

"  Can't  you  take  us  down  an  alley?  "  asked  Lloyd. 
"  It  mawtifies  me  dreadfully  to  have  to  go  down 
the  street  looking  like  this." 

"  The  car-line  that  passes  this  door  goes  directly 
to  the  department  store,"  answered  Gay.  "  It's  only 
a  few  blocks  away,  but  we'll  take  it.  That  tomato 
soup  on  you  certainly  does  look  gory." 

Maud  had  taken  the  veil  from  her  hat  and  thrown 
it  over  her  shoulders  in  a  way  to  hide  the  coffee 
stains.  "  Never  mind,"  she  said,  carelessly,  as  they 
left  the  restaurant.  "  Just  hold  your  head  up  and 
sail  along  with  your  most  princess-like  air,  and 
people  will  be  so  busy  admiring  you  that  they  won't 
have  time  to  look  at  your  soupy  waist/' 

"  Ugh !  It  smells  so  greasy  and  horrid,"  sniffed 
the  Little  Colonel,  ignoring  Maud's  remark.  "  It's 
just  like  dishwatah  and  bacon  rinds.  I  want  to  get 
away  from  it  as  soon  as  possible." 

"  Misses'  white  shirt-waists?"  repeated  the  sales- 
woman in  the  big  department  store,  when  they 
reached  it  a  few  minutes  later.  "  Certainly.  Here 
is  something  pretty.  The  newest  fall  goods." 


AN  EXCURSION  59 

She  led  them  to  a  counter  piled  high  with  boxes, 
and  they  made  a  hasty  selection.  Some  alteration 
was  needed  in  the  collar  of  the  one  Lloyd  chose, 
and  in  the  sleeves  of  Maud's.  While  they  waited 
in  the  fitting-room,  turning  over  some  back  numbers 
of  fashion-plates  and  magazines,  Gay  amused  her- 
self by  wandering  around  the  millinery  department, 
trying  on  hats.  Presently  she  found  one  so  becom- 
ing that  she  ran  back  to  them,  delighted. 

"  It  isn't  once  in  a  thousand  years  that  I  find  a 
picture  hat  that  looks  well  with  my  pug  nose! " 
she  cried.  "  But  gaze  on  this !  " 

She  revolved  slowly  before  them,,  so  radiantly 
pleased  over  her  discovery  that  she  looked  unusually 
pretty.  Both  girls  exclaimed  over  its  becomingness. 
Then  Lloyd's  gaze  wandered  from  the  airy  struc- 
ture of  chiffon  and  flowers  down  Gay's  back  to  her 
waist-line. 

"Mercy,  child!"  she  exclaimed.  "You've  lost 
your  belt.  Every  one  of  those  three  safety-pins  is 
showing,  and  they  each  look  a  foot  long !  " 

Gay's  hand  flew  wildly  to  the  back  of  her  dress, 
but  she  felt  in  vain  for  a  belt  under  which  to  hide 
the  pins.  She  turned  toward  them  with  a  hopeless 
drooping  of  the  shoulders. 

"How  did  I  lose  it?"  she  demanded,  helplessly. 


60      LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS   VACATION 

"  It  had  the  safest,  strongest  kind  of  a  clasp.  When 
do  you  suppose  I  did  it,  and  where?  I  must  have 
been  a  sight  parading  the  street  this  way  like  an 
animated  pincushion." 

She  passed  her  hand  over  the  obtrusive  pins 
again.  "  I  certainly  had  it  on  when  we  left  the 
restaurant.  Yes,  and  after  we  got  on  the  car  to 
come  here,  for  I  remember  just  after  you  paid  the 
fare  I  ran  my  fingers  down  inside  of  it  to  make 
sure  that  Miss  Chilton's  card  was  still  safely  pinned 
to  it." 

Then  she  rolled  up  her  eyes  and  fell  limply  back 
against  the  wall. 

"  Girls ! "  she  exclaimed,  in  a  despairing  voice, 
"  the  card  is  lost  with  it,  too.  I've  no  more  idea 
than  the  man  in  the  moon  where  Miss  Chilton's 
friend  lives,  or  what  her  name  is,  or  what  car-line 
to  take  to  get  there.  Do  either  of  you  remember 
hearing  her  say  anything  that  would  throw  any 
light  on  the  subject?" 

Neither  Lloyd  nor  Maud  could  remember,  and 
the  three  stood  staring  at  each  other  with  startled 
faces. 

"  Maybe  you  dropped  your  belt  coming  up  in 
the  elevator/'  suggested  Maud.  "  You  might  in- 


AN  EXCURSION-  6l 

quire.  As  soon  as  we  get  our  clothes  on,  we'll 
help  you  hunt." 

Gay  flew  to  lay  aside  the  picture  hat  for  her  own, 
and,  with  her  hands  clutching  her  dress  to  hide 
the  unsightly  safety-pins,  started  on  her  search 
through  the  store. 

"  We  came  straight  past  the  ribbon  counter  and 
the  embroideries  to  the  silks,  and  then  we  turned 
here  and  took  the  elevator,"  she  said  to  herself, 
retracing  her  steps.  But  inquiries  of  the  elevator 
boy  and  every  clerk  along  the  line  failed  to  elicit 
any  information  about  the  lost  belt. 

"  No,  it  was  only  an  ordinary  belt  that  no  one 
would  look  at  the  second  time,"  she  explained  to 
those  who  asked  for  a  description.  "  Just  dark  blue 
ribbon  with  a  plain  oxidized  silver  clasp.  But  there 
was  an  address  pinned  to  it  that  is  very  important 
for  me  to  find." 

The  floor-walker  obligingly  joined  in  the  search, 
going  to  the  door  and  scanning  the  pavement  and 
the  street-crossing  at  which  they  had  left  the  car, 
but  to  no  purpose. 

"  I  can  buy  a  new  belt  and  have  it  charged,"  she 
said  to  Lloyd,  when  she  came  back  to  report,  "  but 
there  is  no  way  to  get  the  lost  address.  If  I  could 
only  remember  the  name,  I  could  look  for  it  in 


62      LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

the  directory,  but  I  never  heard  it.  Miss  Chilton 
always  spoke  of  the  lady  as  '  my  friend.'  " 

"  I  heard  her  speak  it  once,"  said  Lloyd,  "  but  I 
can't  remembah  it  now." 

"  Go  over  the  alphabet,"  suggested  Maud.  "  Say 
all  the  names  you  can  think  of  beginning  with  A 
and  then  B,  and  so  on.  Maybe  you  will  stumble 
across  one  that  you  recognize  as  the  right  one." 

Lloyd  shook  her  head.  "  No,  it  was  an  unusual 
name,  a  long  foreign-sounding  one.  I  wondahed 
at  the  time  how  she  could  trip  it  off  her  tongue  so 
easily." 

"  Then  we're  lost !  Hopelessly,  helplessly  un- 
done ! "  moaned  Gay.  "  All  our  lovely  outing 
spoiled!  You  won't  get  to  see  the  books,  nor  I 
the  violin.  I  know  you  are  hating  me  horribly. 
There's  nothing  to  do  but  go  back  to  Warwick 
Hall,  and  leave  a  note  with  the  ticket  agent  for 
Miss  Chilton." 

The  tears  stood  in  her  eyes,  and  she  looked  so 
broken-hearted  that  Lloyd  put  her  arms  around  her, 
insisting  that  it  didn't  make  a  mite  of  difference 
to  her.  That  she  didn't  care  much  for  the  old  books, 
anyhow,  and  for  her  not  to  grieve  about  it  another 
minute. 

Maud's  face  darkened  as  she  listened.    Presently 


AN  EXCURSION  63 

she  said :  "  I  don't  care  particularly  about  the  books, 
either,  but  I  don't  see  any  use  of  our  losing  the 
entire  holiday.  You  know  your  way  about  the  city, 
Gay;  I  have  some  car- fare  in  my  purse,  and  so 
has  Lloyd.  We  can  go  larking  by  ourselves." 

The  dressmaker  came  back  with  Maud's  waist. 
She  put  it  on,  and  Gay  went  for  her  belt.  While 
Lloyd  was  still  waiting  for  her  waist,  Maud  saun- 
tered out  of  the  fitting-room,  and  asked  permission 
to  use  the  telephone.  She  was  still  using  it  when 
Gay  joined  them. 

"  Wait  a  minute,"  Maud  called  to  her  invisible 
auditor,  and,  still  holding  the  receiver,  turned 
toward  the  girls. 

"  Such  grand  luck ! "  she  exclaimed,  in  a  low 
tone.  "  I  just  happened  to  think  of  a  young  fellow 
I  know  here  in  town  —  Charlie  Downs.  He  is 
always  ready  for  anything  going,  and,  when  I  tele- 
phoned him  the  predicament  we  are  in,  he  said  right 
away  he  would  meet  us  down  here  and  take  us  all 
to  the  matinee." 

"  Charlie  Downs,"  echoed  Gay.  "  I  never  heard 
of  him." 

"That  doesn't  make  any  difference,"  Maud  an- 
swered, hurriedly.  Then,  in  a  still  lower  tone,  with 
her  back  to  the  telephone :  "  He's  all  right.  He's 


64      LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

a  sort  of  a  distant  relative  of  mine,  —  that  is,  his 
cousin  married  into  our  family.  I  can  vouch  for 
Charlie.  He's  a  young  medical  student,  and  he's 
in  old  Doctor  Spencer's  office.  Everybody  knows 
Doctor  Spencer,  one  of  the  finest  specialists  in  the 
country." 

She  turned  toward  the  telephone  again,  but  Gay 
stopped  her.  "  It's  out  of  the  question,  Maud,  for 
us  to  accept  such  an  invitation.  It's  kind  of  him 
to  ask  us,  but  you're  in  my  charge,  and  I'll  have  to 
take  the  responsibility  of  refusing." 

"Well,  I  never  heard  the  like  of  that!"  said 
Maud,  angrily,  looking  down  on  Gay  in  such  a 
scornful,  disgusted  way  that  Lloyd  would  have 
laughed  had  the  situation  not  been  so  tragic.  Gay, 
trying  to  be  commanding,  reminded  her  of  an  anx- 
ious little  hen,  ruffling  its  feathers  because  the  ob- 
stinate duckling  in  its  brood  refused  to  come  out 
of  the  water. 

"  Madam  Chartley  wouldn't  like  it,"  urged  Gay. 

"  Then  she  should  have  made  rules  to  that  effect. 
You  know  there's  not  a  single  one  that  would  stand 
in  the  way  of  our  doing  this." 

"  Yes,  there  is.  It's  an  unwritten  one,  but  it's 
the  one  law  of  the  Hall  that  Madam  expects  every 
one  to  live  up  to." 


AN  EXCURSION  65 

"May  I  ask  what?"  Maud's  tone  was  freez- 
ingly  polite. 

"  The  motto  under  the  crest.  It's  on  everything 
you  know,  the  old  earl's  teacups,  the  stationery,  and 
everything  —  '  Keep  tryst.'  " 

"  Fiddlesticks  for  the  old  earl's  teacups ! "  said 
Maud,  shrugging  her  shoulders.  "  It's  unreason- 
able to  expect  us  to  keep  tryst  with  Miss  Chilton 
now." 

"Not  that,"  said  Gay,  ready  to  cry.  "We're 
to  keep  tryst  with  what  she  expects  of  us.  She 
expects  us  to  do  the  right  thing  under  all  circum- 
stances, and  you  know  the  right  thing  now  is  to 
go  home.  We  were  recognized  at  the  restaurant 
as  Warwick  Hall  girls,  and  we  might  be  again  at 
the  matinee.  What  would  people  think  of  the 
school  if  they  saw  three  of  the  girls  there  with  a 
strange  young  man  without  a  chaperon  ?  " 

"  You're  the  chaperon.  If  you'd  do  to  take  us 
shopping,  you'd  do  for  that." 

"  Oh,  Maud,  don't  be  unreasonable,"  urged  Gay. 
"  It's  entirely  different.  Don't  be  offended,  please, 
but  we  can't  go.  It's  simply  out  of  the  ques- 
tion." 

"  Indeed  it  isn't,"  answered  Maud,  turning  again 
to  the  telephone.  "  Go  home  if  you  want  to,  but 


66      LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

Lloyd  and  I  will  do  as  we  please.  I'll  accept  for 
us." 

This  time  Lloyd  stopped  her.  "Wait!  Let's 
telephone  out  to  the  Hall  and  ask  Madam." 

Maud  shrugged  her  shoulders.  "  You  know  very 
well  she'd  say  no  if  you  asked  her  beforehand." 
Then  the  two  heard  one  side  of  her  conversation 
over  the  telephone. 

"  Hello,  Charlie !  Sorry  to  keep  you  waiting  so 
long." 

"  The  girls  are  afraid  to  go." 

"What's  that?" 

"  I  don't  suppose  so." 

"  I'm  perfectly  willing.    I'll  ask  them." 

Then  turning  again,  with  the  receiver  in  her 
hand :  "  He  says  that  the  matinee  will  probably  be 
over  before  the  second  train  out  to  the  Hall,  and, 
if  it  isn't,  we  can  leave  a  little  earlier  and  be  at 
the  station  before  Miss  Chilton  gets  there,  and  she 
need  never  know  but  what  we've  just  been  street- 
car riding,  as  we  first  planned." 

"Then  that  settles  it!"  exclaimed  Lloyd.  "If 
he  said  that,  I  wouldn't  go  with  him  for  anything 
in  the  world." 

"Why?"  demanded  Maud.  Her  eyes  flashed 
angrily. 


AN  EXCURSION  67 

"  Because  —  because,"  stammered  Lloyd.  "  Well, 
it'll  make  you  mad,  but  I  can't  help  it.  Papa  Jack 
said  one  time  that  an  honourable  man  would  never 
ask  me  to  do  anything  clandestine.  And  it  would 
be  sneaking  to  do  as  he  proposes." 

Maud  was  white  with  rage,  and  the  hand  that 
held  the  receiver  trembled.  "  Have  the  goodness 
to  keep  your  insulting  remarks  to  yourself  in  the 
future,  Miss  Sherman." 

"  Please  don't  go,"  begged  Gay.  "  I  feel  so  re- 
sponsible for  getting  you  home  safely,  and  it  would 
be  sneaking,  you  know,  to  pretend  we'd  been  simply 
trolley-riding  when  we'd  been  off  with  him." 

"  You're  nasty  little  cats  to  say  such  things ! " 
stormed  Maud.  "  I  don't  want  to  have  anything 
more  to  do  with  either  of  you.  Go  on  home  and 
leave  me  alone.  Hello!  Hello,  Charlie!  " 

They  heard  her  make  an  engagement  to  meet  him 
at  the  drug-store  on  the  next  corner.  Then  she 
sailed  out  of  the  store  past  them,  without  a  glance 
in  their  direction.  Gay  began  fumbling  up  her 
sleeve  for  her  handkerchief.  The  tears  were  gath- 
ering too  fast  to  be  winked  back. 

"  It's  all  my  fault,"  she  sobbed.  "  Oh,  if  I  hadn't 
lost  that  unlucky  belt.  To  think  that  I  begged  to 
be  a  chaperon,  and  then  wasn't  fit  to  be  trusted." 


68      LITTLE    COLONEL'S   CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

Lloyd  tried  vainly  to  comfort  her.  A  little  later 
two  disconsolate-looking  girls  took  the  first  after- 
noon train  out  to  Warwick  Hall,  and  stole  up  to 
Lloyd's  room.  As  Betty  was  with  Miss  Chilton, 
no  one  knew  of  their  arrival,  and  they  spent  sev- 
eral uncomfortable  hours  agonizing  over  the  ques- 
tion of  what  they  should  say  when  they  were  called 
to  account.  They  decided  at  last  that  they  would 
give  no  more  information  about  Maud  than  that 
a  distant  relative  had  called  for  her. 

At  five  o'clock,  Miss  Chilton  reached  the  ticket- 
office  with  her  little  brood,  and  found  Lloyd's  card 
with  the  words  "  gone  on  "  scribbled  in  one  corner. 
Lloyd  and  Gay,  watching  at  the  window  for  their 
arrival,  saw  with  sinking  hearts  that  Maud  was 
not  with  them.  They  hoped  that  she  would  come 
on  the  same  train,  and  would  be  forced  to  make  her 
own  explanations.  But  they  were  not  called  upon 
to  explain  her  disappearance.  Miss  Chilton,  almost 
'distracted  with  an  attack  of  neuralgic  headache, 
went  to  her  room  immediately,  and  sent  down  word 
«  that  she  would  not  appear  at  dinner. 

"  She'll  surely  come  on  the  next  train,"  Gay 
whispered  to  Lloyd,  but  the  whistle  sounded  at  the 
station,  and  they  watched  the  clock  in  vain.  Ample 
time  passed  for  one  to  have  walked  the  distance 


AN  EXCURSION  69 

twice  from  the  station  to  the  Hall,  but  no  one 
came. 

It  was  half-past  six  when  they  filed  down  to 
dinner.  The  halls  were  lighted,  and  all  the  chande- 
liers in  the  great  dining-room  glowed. 

As  they  passed  the  window  on  the  stair-landing, 
Lloyd  pressed  her  face  against  the  pane  and  peered 
out  into  the  darkness.  Gay,  just  behind  her,  paused 
and  peered  also. 

"  What  do  you  suppose  has  happened  ? "  she 
whispered.  "  It's  as  dark  as  a  pocket,  and  Maud 
hasn't  come  yet." 


CHAPTER   IV. 


LLOYD  and  Betty  were  starting  to  undress  when 
there  was  a  light  tap  at  the  door,  and  Gay's  head 
appeared.  In  response  to  their  eager  call,  she  came 
in,  and,  shutting  the  door  behind  her,  stood  with 
her  back  against  it. 

"  No,  I  can't  sit  down,"  she  answered.  "  It's 
too  late  to  stop.  I  only  ran  in  to  tell  you  that  Maud 
got  home  about  five  minutes  ago.  '  Charlie '  came 
with  her  as  far  as  the  door  and  Madam  has  just 
sent  for  her  to  demand  an  explanation.  She  told 
her  roommate  that  she  knew  she  was  in  for  a  scold- 
ing, and  that,  as  one  might  as  well  be  killed  for 
a  sheep  as  a  lamb,  she  made  her  good  time  last  as 
long  as  she  could.  After  the  matinee  they  had  a 
little  supper  at  some  roof-garden  or  cafe  or  some- 
thing of  the  kind,  where  there  was  a  band  concert. 
Then  he  brought  her  out  on  the  car,  and  they 

strolled  along  the  river  road  home.    The  moon  was 
70 


"KEEP   TRYST  n  7 1 

just  beginning  to  come  up.  She's  had  a  beautiful 
time,  and  thinks  she  has  done  something  awfully 
cute,  but  she'll  think  differently  by  the  time  Madam 
is  through  with  her." 

"  Will  she  be  very  terrible?  "  asked  Lloyd,  paus- 
ing with  brush  in  hand. 

"  I  don't  know,"  answered  Gay.  "  Nothing  like 
this  has  happened  since  I  have  been  at  the  Hall, 
but  I've  heard  her  say  that  this  is  not  a  reform 
school,  and  girls  who  have  to  be  punished  and 
scolded  are  not  wanted  here.  If  they  can't  measure 
up  to  the  standard  of  good  behaviour,  they  can't 
stay.  As  long  as  this  is  the  first  offence,  she'll 
probably  be  given  another  trial,  but  I'd  not  care  to 
be  in  her  shoes  when  Madam  calls  her  to  judg- 
ment." 

No  one  ever  knew  what  passed  between  the  two 
in  the  up-stairs  office,  but  Maud  sailed  down  to 
breakfast  next  morning  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 
The  only  difference  in  her  manner  was  when  Lloyd 
and  Gay  took  their  places  opposite  her  at  the  table. 
They  glanced  across  with  the  usual  good  morning, 
but  she  looked  past  them  as  if  she  neither  saw  nor 
heard. 

"  Cut  dead !  "  whispered  Lloyd.  Gay  giggled,  as 
she  unfolded  her  napkin.  "  I'm  very  sure  she  has 


72      LITTLE   COLONEL'S   CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

no  cause  to  be  angry  with  us.  We  are  the  ones 
who  ought  to  act  offended." 

Soon  after  breakfast  they  were  called  into  Miss 
Chilton's  room,  but  to  their  great  relief  found  that 
she  already  knew  what  had  happened,  and  that  they 
were  to  be  questioned  only  about  their  own  part 
in  the  affair.  So  presently  Gay  passed  out  to  her 
Latin  recitation,  and  Lloyd  wandered  around  the 
room,  waiting  for  the  literature  class  to  assemble. 

Miss  Chilton's  room  was  the  most  attractive  one 
in  the  Hall.  It  looked  more  like  a  cheerful  library 
than  a  schoolroom.  Low  book-shelves  lined  the 
walls,  with  here  and  there  a  fine  bust  in  bronze  or 
Carrara  marble.  Pictures  from  many  lands  added 
interest,  and  the  wicker  chairs,  instead  of  being 
arranged  in  stiff  rows,  stood  invitingly  about,  as 
if  in  a  private  parlour.  There  were  always  violets 
on  Miss  Chilton's  desk,  and  ferns  and  palms  in  the 
sunny  south  windows.  The  recitations  were  car- 
ried on  in  such  a  delightfully  informal  way  that 
the  girls  looked  forward  to  this  hour  as  one  of  the 
pleasantest  of  the  day. 

This  morning,  to  their  surprise,  instead  of  ques- 
tioning them  about  the  topic  they  had  studied,  Ro- 
mance of  the  Middle  Ages,  she  announced  that  she 
had  a  story  which  Madam  Chartley  had  requested 


"KEEP   TRYST  n  73 

her  to  read  to  them,  and  she  wished  such  close  at- 
tention paid  to  it  that  afterward  each  one  could 
write  it  from  memory  for  the  next  day's  lesson. 

"  I  have  a  reason  for  wishing  to  impress  this  little 
tale  indelibly  on  your  minds,"  she  said,  "  so  I  shall 
offer  this  inducement  for  concentrating  your  atten- 
tion upon  it :  five  credits  to  each  one  who  can  hand 
in  a  full  synopsis  of  the  story,  and  ten  to  the  one 
who  can  reproduce  it  most  literally  and  fully." 

There  was  a  slight  flutter  of  expectancy  as  the 
class  settled  itself  to  listen,  and,  opening  the  little 
green  and  gold  volume  where  a  white  ribbon  kept 
the  place,  she  began  to  read : 

"  Now  there  was  a  troubadour  in  the  kingdom 
of  Arthur,  who,  strolling  through  the  land  with 
only  his  minstrelsy  to  win  him  a  way,  found  in 
every  baron's  hall  and  cotter's  hut  a  ready  welcome. 
And  while  the  boar's  head  sputtered  on  the  spit, 
or  the  ale  sparkled  in  the  shining  tankards,  he  told 
such  tales  of  joust  and  journey,  and  feats  of  brave 
knight  errantry,  that  even  the  scullions  left  their 
kitchen  tasks,  and,  creeping  near,  stood  round  the 
door  with  mouths  agape  to  listen. 

"  Then  with  his  harp-strings  tuned  to  echoes  of 
the  wind  dn  winter  moors,  he  sang  of  death  and 


74     LITTLE  COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

valour  on  the  field,  of  love  and  fealty  in  the  hall, 
till  those  who  listened  forgot  all  save  his  singing 
and  the  noble  knights  whereof  he  sang. 

"  One  winter  night,  as  thus  he  carolled  in  a  great 
earl's  hall,  a  little  page  crept  nearer  to  his  bench 
beside  the  fire,  and,  with  his  blue  eyes  fixed  in  won- 
derment upon  the  graybeard's  face,  stood  spell- 
bound. Now  Ederyn  was  the  page's  name,  an 
orphan  lad  whose  lineage  no  man  knew,  but  that 
he  came  of  gentle  blood  all  eyes  could  see,  although 
as  vassal  'twas  his  lot  to  wait  upon  the  great  earl's 
squire. 

"It  was  the  Yule-tide,  and  the  wassail-bowl  passed 
round  till  boisterous  mirth  drowned  oftentimes  the 
minstrel's  song,  but  Ederyn  missed  no  word.  Scarce 
knowing  what  he  did,  he  crept  so  close  he  found 
himself  with  upturned  face  against  the  old  man's 
knee. 

" '  How  now,  thou  flaxen-haired/  the  minstrel 
said,  with  kindly  smile.  '  Dost  like  my  song? ' 

"  '  Oh,  sire/  the  youth  made  answer,  '  methinks 
on  such  a  wing  the  soul  could  well  take  flight  to 
Paradise.  But  tell  me,  prithee,  is  it  possible  for 
such  as  /  to  gain  the  title  of  a  knight?  How  doth 
one  win  such  honours  and  acclaim  and  reach  the 
high  estate  that  thou  dost  laud?' 


"KEEP   TRYST"  75 

"  The  minstrel  g-azed  a  little  space  into  the  Yule 
log's  flame,  and  stroked  his  long  hoar  beard.  Then 
made  he  answer: 

"  '  Some  win  their  spurs  and  earn  th'e  royal  ac- 
colade because  the  blood  of  dragons  stains  their 
hands.  From  mighty  combat  with  these  terrors 
they  come  victorious  to  their  king's  reward.  And 
some  there  be  sore  scarred  with  conquest  of  the 
giants  that  ever  prey  upon  the  borders  of  our  fair 
domain.  Some,  who  have  gone  on  far  crusades  to 
alien  lands,  and  there  with  heart  of  gold  and  iron 
hand  have  proved  their  fealty  to  the  Crown/ 

"  Then  Ederyn  sighed,  for  well  he  knew  his 
stripling  form  could  never  wage  fierce  combat  with 
a  dragon.  His  hands  could  never  meet  the  brawny 
grip  of  giants.  *  Is  there  no  other  way?'  he  fal- 
tered. 

"  '  I  wot  not/  was  the  answer.  '  But  take  an  old 
man's  counsel.  Forget  thy  dreams  of  glory,  and 
be  content  to  serve  thy  squire.  For  what  hast  such 
as  thou  to  do  with  great  ambitions?  They'd  prove 
but  flames  to  burn  away  thy  daily  peace/ 

"  With  that  he  turned  to  quaff  the  proffered 
bowl  and  add  his  voice  to  those  whose  mirth  al- 
ready shook  the  rafters.  Nor  had  he  any  further 
speech  with  Ederyn.  But  afterward  the  pretty  lad 


76      LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

was  often  in  his  thoughts,  and  in  his  wanderings 
about  the  land  he  mused  upon  the  question  he  had 
asked. 

"  Another  twelvemonth  sped  its  way,  and  once 
again  the  Yule  log  burned  within  the  hall,  and  once 
again  the  troubadour  knocked  at  the  gate,  all  in 
the  night  and  falling  snow.  And  as  before,  with 
merry  jests  they  led  him  in  and  made  him  welcome. 
And  as  before,  was  every  mouth  agape  from 
squire's  to  scullion's,  as  he  sang. 

"  Once  more  he  sang  of  knights  and  ladyes  fair, 
of  love  and  death  and  valour;  and  Ederyn,  the 
page,  crept  nearer  to  him  till  the  harp-strings  ceased 
to  thrill.  With  head  upon  his  hands,  he  sat  and 
sighed.  Not  even  when  the  wassail-bowl  was 
passed  with  mirth  and  laughter  did  he  look  up. 
And  when  the  graybeard  minstrel  saw  his  grief, 
he  thought  upon  his  question  of  the  Yule-tide  gone. 

"  '  Ah,  now,  thou  flaxen-haired/  he  whispered  in 
his  ear.  '  I  bear  thee  tidings  which  should  make 
thee  sing  for  joy.  There  is  a  way  for  even  such 
as  thou  to  win  the  honours  thou  dost  covet.  I  heard 
it  in  the  royal  court  when  last  I  sang  there  at  the 
king's  behest/ 

"  Then  all  aquiver  with  his  eagerness  did  Ederyn 


"KEEP   TRYST"  77 

kneel,  with  face  alight,  beside  the  minstrel's  knee 
to  hear. 

"  '  Know  this,'  began  the  graybeard.  '  'Tis  the 
king's  desire  to  'stablish  round  him  at  his  court 
a  chosen  circle  whose  fidelity  hath  stood  the  utmost 
test.  Not  deeds  of  prowess  are  required  of  these 
true  followers,  with  no  great  conquests  doth  he  tax 
them,  but  they  must  prove  themselves  trustworthy, 
until  on  hand  and  heart  it  may  be  graven  large, 
"In  all  things  faithfitl." 

"'To  Merlin,  the  enchanter,  he  hath  left  the 
choice,  who  by  some  strange  spell  I  wot  not  of  will 
send  an  eerie  call  through  all  the  kingdom.  And 
only  those  will  hear  who  wake  at  dawn  to  listen 
in  high  places.  And  only  those  will  heed  who  keep 
the  compass  needles  of  their  souls  true  to  the  north 
star  of  a  great  ambition.  The  time  of  testing  will 
be  long,  the  summons  many.  To  duty  and  to  sor- 
row, to  disappointment  and  defeat,  thou  may'st  be 
called.  No  matter  what  the  tryst,  there  is  but  one 
reply  if  thou  wouldst  win  thy  knighthood.  Give 
heed  and  I  will  teach  thee  now  that  answer.' 

"Then  smiting  on  his  harp,  the  minstrel  sang, 
so  softly  under  cover  of  the  noise,  that  only  Ederyn 
heard.  Through  all  the  song  ran  ever  this  refrain. 


78      LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

It  seemed  a  brooklet  winding  in  and  out  through 
some  fair  meadow: 

41 « 'Tis  the  king's  call.     O  list ! 

Thou  heart  and  hand  of  mine,  keep  tryst  — 
Keep  tryst  or  die  ! ' 

"  Then  Ederyn,  with  his  hand  upon  his  heart, 
made  solemn  oath.  '  Awake  at  dawn  and  listening 
in  high  places  will  I  await  that  call.  With  the  com- 
pass needle  of  my  soul  true  to  the  north  star  of 
a  great  ambition  will  I  follow  where  it  leads,  and 
though  through  fire  and  flood  it  take  me,  I'll  make 
but  this  reply: 

«•  <  'Tis  the  king's  call.    O  list ! 

Thou  heart  and  hand  of  mine,  keep  tryst— 
Keep  tryst  or  die ! ' 

"  Pressing  the  old  man's  hand  in  gratitude  (he 
could  say  no  word  for  the  strange  fulness  in  his 
throat  that  well-nigh  choked  him),  he  rose  from 
his  knees  and  left  the  hall  to  muse  on  what  had 
passed. 

"  That  night  he  climbed  into  the  tower,  and, 
with  his  face  turned  to  the  east,  kept  vigil  all  alone. 
Below,  the  rioters  waxed  louder  in  their  mirth. 
The  knife  was  in  the  meat,  the  drink  was  in  the 
horn.  But  he  would  not  join  their  revels,  lest  morn- 


"KEEP   TRYST"  79 

ing  find  him  sunk  in  sodden  sleep,  heavy  with  feast- 
ing and  witless  from  wine. 

"  As  gray  dawn  trailed  across  the  hills,  he  started 
to  his  feet,  for  far  away  sounded  the  call  for  which 
he  had  been  waiting.  It  was  like  the  faint  blowing 
of  an  elfin  horn,  but  the  words  came  clearly. 

"  '  Ederyn !  Ederyn !  One  awaits  thee  at  night- 
fall in  the  shade  of  the  yew-tree  by  the  abbey  tower ! 
Keep  tryst!' 

"  Now  the  abbey  tower  was  the  space  of  forty 
furlongs  from  the  domain  of  the  earl,  and  full  well 
Ederyn  knew  that  only  by  especial  favour  of  his 
squire  could  he  gain  leave  of  absence  for  this  jaunt. 
So,  from  sunrise  until  dusk,  he  worked  with  will, 
to  gain  the  wished-for  leave.  Never  before  did 
buckles  shine  as  did  the  buckles  of  the  squire  en- 
trusted to  his  polishing.  Never  did  menial  tasks 
cease  sooner  to  be  drudgery,  because  of  the  good- 
will with  which  he  worked.  And  when  the  day 
was  done,  so  well  had  every  duty  been  performed, 
right  willingly  the  squire  did  grant  him  grace,  and 
forthwith  Ederyn  sped  upon  his  mission. 

"  The  way  was  long,  and,  when  he  reached  the 
abbey  tree,  he  fell  a-trembling,  for  there  a  tall  wraith 
stood  within  the  shadows  of  the  yew.  No  face 
had  it  that  he  could  see,  its  hands  no  substance, 


80      LITTLE   COLONELS   CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

but  he  met  it  bravely,  saying :  '  I  am  Ederyn,  come 
to  keep  the  king's  tryst.' 

"  And  then  the  spectre's  voice  replied :  '  Well 
hast  thou  kept  it,  for  'tis  known  to  me  the  many 
menial  tasks  thou  didst  perform  ere  thou  couldst 
come  upon  thy  quest.  In  token  that  we  two  have 
met,  here  is  my  pledge  that  thou  may'st  keep  to 
show  the  king.' 

"  He  felt  a  light  touch  on  the  bosom  of  his  inner 
vestment,  and  suddenly  he  stood  alone  beside  the 
gruesome  abbey.  Clammy  with  fear,  he  knew  not 
why,  he  drew  his  mantle  round  him  and  sped  home 
as  one  speeds  in  a  fearsome  dream.  And  that  it 
was  a  dream  he  half-believed,  when  later,  in  the 
hall,  he  served  at  meat  those  gathered  round  the 
old  earl's  board.  But  when  he  sought  his  bed,  and 
threw  aside  his  outer  garment,  there  on  his  coarse, 
rough  shirt  of  hodden  gray  a  pearl  gleamed  white 
above  his  heart,  where  the  wraith's  cold  hand  had 
touched  him.  It  was  the  token  to  the  king  that 
he  had  answered  faithfully  his  call. 

"  Again  before  the  dawn  he  climbed  into  the 
tower,  and,  listening  when  the  voices  of  the  world 
were  still,  heard  clear  and  sweet,  like  far-blown  elfin 
horn,  another  summons. 

"'Ederyn!    Ederyn!     One  awaits  thee  at  the 


"KEEP   TRYST"  8 1 

midnight  hour  beside  black  Kilgore's  water.  Keep 
tryst ! ' 

"  Again  to  gain  his  squire's  permission  he  toiled 
with  double  care.  This  time  his  task  was  counting 
all  the  spears  and  halberds,  the  battle-axes  and  the 
coats  of  mail  that  filled  the  earl's  great  armament. 
And  o'er  and  o'er  he  counted,  keeping  careful  tally 
with  a  bit  of  keel  upon  the  iron-banded  door,  till 
the  red  lines  that  he  marked  there  made  his  eyes 
ache  and  his  head  swim.  At  last  the  task  was  fin- 
ished, and  so  well  the  squire  praised  him,  and  for 
his  faithfulness  again  was  fain  to  speed  him  on  his 
way. 

"  It  was  a  woful  journey  to  the  waters  of  Kilgore. 
Sleep  weighed  on  Ederyn's  eyelids,  and  haltingly 
he  went  the  weary  miles,  footsore  and  worn.  But 
midnight  found  him  on  the  spot  where  one  awaited 
him,  another  wraith-like  envoy  of  the  king,  and  it, 
too,  left  a  touch  upon  his  heart  in  token  he  had 
kept  the  tryst.  And  when  he  looked,  another  pearl 
gleamed  there  beside  the  first. 

"  So  many  a  day  went  by,  and  Ederyn  failed  not 
in  his  homely  tasks,  but  carried  to  his  common 
round  of  duties  all  his  might,  as  if  they  were  great 
feats  of  prowess.  Thus  gained  he  liberty  to  keep 
the  tryst  with  every  messenger  the  king  did  send. 


82      LITTLE  COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

"Once  he  fared  forth  along  a  dangerous  road 
that  led  he  knew  not  where,  and,  when  he  found 
it  crossed  a  loathly  swamp  all  filled  with  slime  and 
creeping  things,  fain  would  he  have  fled.  But, 
pushing  on  for  sake  of  his  brave  oath,  although 
with  fainting  heart,  he  reached  the  goal  at  last. 
This  time  his  token  made  him  wonder  much.  For 
when  he  wakened  from  his  swoon,  a  shining  star 
lay  on  his  heart  above  the  pearls. 

"  Now  it  fell  out  the  squire  to  whom  this  Ederyn 
was  page  was  killed  in  conflict  with  a  robber  band, 
and  Ederyn,  for  his  faithfulness,  was  taken  by  the 
earl  to  fill  that  squire's  place.  Soon  after  that,  they 
left  the  hall,  and  journeyed  on  a  visit  to  a  distant 
lord.  'Twas  to  the  Castle  of  Content  they  came, 
where  was  a  joyous  garden.  And  now  no  menial 
tasks  employed  the  new  squire's  time.  Here  was 
he  free  to  wander  all  the  day  through  vistas  of 
the  joyous  garden,  or  loiter  by  the  fountain  in  the 
courtyard  and  watch  the  maidens  at  their  tasks,  hav- 
ing fair  speech  with  them  among  the  flowers.  And 
one  there  was  among  them,  so  lily-like  in  face,  so 
gentle-voiced  and  fair,  that  Ederyn  well-nigh  for- 
got his  oath,  and  felt  full  glad  when  for  a  space 
the  king's  call  ceased  to  sound.  And  gladder  was 
he  still,  when,  later  on,  the  earl's  long  visit  done, 


"KEEP   TRYST"  83 

he  left  young  Ederyn  behind  to  serve  the  great  lord 
of  the  castle,  for  so  the  two  friends  had  agreed, 
since  Ederyn  had  pleased  the  old  lord's  fancy. 

"  Yet  was  he  faithful  to  his  vow,  and  failed  not 
every  dawn  to  mount  to  some  high  place,  when  all 
the  voices  of  the  world  were  still,  and  listen  for 
the  sound  of  Merlin's  horn.  One  morn  it  came: 

"  '  Ederyn !  Ederyn !  One  waits  thee  far  away. 
By  the  black  cave  of  Atropos,  when  the  moon  fulls, 
keep  thy  tryst ! ' 

"  Now  'twas  a  seven  days'  journey  to  that  cave, 
and  Ederyn,  thinking  of  the  lily  maid,  was  loath 
to  leave  the  garden.  He  lingered  by  the  fountain 
until  nightfall,  saying  to  himself :  *  Why  should 
I  go  on  longer  in  these  foolish  quests,  keeping  tryst 
with  shadows  that  vanish  at  the  touch  ?  No  nearer 
am  I  to  a  knight's  estate  than,  when  a  stripling 
page,  I  listened  to  the  minstrel's  tales.' 

"  The  fountain  softly  splashed  within  the  garden. 
From  out  the  banquet-hall  there  stole  the  sound 
of  tinkling  lutes,  and  then  the  lily  maiden  sang. 
Her  siren  voice  filled  all  his  heart,  and  he  forgot 
his  oath  to  duty.  But  presently  a  star  reflected  in 
the  fountain  made  him  look  up  into  the  jewelled 
sky,  where  shone  the  polar  constellation.  And  there 
he  read  the  oath  he  had  forgotten :  '  With  the  com- 


84     LITTLE    COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

pass  needle  of  my  soul  true  to  the  north  star  of 
my  great  ambition,  I  will  follow  where  it  leads/ 

"  Thrusting  his  fingers  in  his  ears  to  silence  the 
beloved  voice  of  her  who  sang,  he  madly  rushed 
from  out  the  garden  into  the  blackness  of  the  night. 
The  Castle  of  Content  clanged  its  great  gate  behind 
him.  He  shivered  as  he  felt  the  jar  through  all 
his  frame,  but,  never  taking  out  his  fingers,  on  he 
ran,  till  scores  of  furlongs  lay  between  him  and 
the  tempting  of  that  siren  voice. 

"  It  was  a  strange  and  fearsome  wood  that  lay 
between  him  and  the  cave.  All  things  seemed 
moaning  and  afraid.  He  saw  no  forms,  but  every- 
where the  shadows  shuddered,  and  moans  and 
groans  pursued  him  till  nameless  fears  clutched  at 
his  heart  with  icy  chill.  Then  suddenly  the  earth 
slipped  way  beneath  his  feet,  and  cold  waves  closed 
above  his  head.  He  knew  now  he  had  fallen  in 
the  pool  that  lies  upon  the  far  edge  of  the  fearsome 
wood,  —  a  pool  so  deep  and  of  such  whirling  mo- 
tion that  only  by  the  fiercest  struggle  may  one 
escape.  Gladly  he  would  have  allowed  the  waters 
to  close  over  him,  such  cold  pains  smote  his  heart, 
had  he  not  seemed  to  hear  the  old  minstrel's  song. 
It  aroused  him  to  a  final  effort,  and  he  gasped  be- 
tween his  teeth: 


"  KEEP   TRYST"  8$ 

« « 'Tis  the  king's  call !     O  list ! 

Thou  heart  and  hand  of  mine,  keep  tryst  — 
Keep  tryst  or  die  ! ' 

"  With  that,  in  one  mighty  struggle  he  dragged 
himself  to  land.  A  bow-shot  farther  on  he  saw  the 
cave,  and  by  sheer  force  of  will  crept  toward  it. 
What  happened  then  he  knew  not  till  the  moon 
rose  full  and  high  above  him.  A  form  swathed  all 
in  black  bowed  over  him. 

"  '  Ederyn/  she  sighed.  '  Here  is  thy  token  that 
the  king  may  know  that  thou  hast  met  me  face  to 
face.' 

"  He  thought  it  was  a  diamond  at  first,  that 
sparkled  there  beside  the  star,  but  when  he  looked 
again,  lo,  nothing  but  a  tear. 

"  Then  went  he  back  unto  the  joyous  garden 
by  slow  degrees,  for  he  was  now  sore  spent.  And 
after  that  the  summons  came  full  often.  When- 
ever all  the  world  seemed  loveliest  and  life  most 
sweet,  then  was  the  call  most  sure  to  come.  But 
never  once  he  faltered.  Never  was  he  faithless  to 
the  king's  behest.  Up  weary  mountain  steps  he 
toiled  to  find  the  sombre  face  of  Disappointment 
there  in  waiting,  and  Suffering  and  Pain  were  often 
at  his  journey's  end,  and  once  a  sore  Defeat.  But 
bravely  as  the  months  went  by  he  learned  to  smile 


86      LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

into  their  eyes,  no  matter  which  one  handed  out 
to  him  the  pledge  of  Duty  well  performed. 

"  One  day,  when  he  no  longer  was  a  beardless 
youth,  but  grown  to  pleasing  stature  and  of  great 
brawn,  he  heard  the  hoped-for  call  of  which  he 
long  had  dreamed :  '  Ederyn !  Ederyn !  The  king 
himself  awaits  thee.  Midsummer  morn  at  lark- 
song,  keep  tryst  beside  the  palace  gate.' 

"  As  travellers  on  the  desert,  spent  and  worn, 
see  far  across  the  sand  the  palm-tree's  green  that 
marks  life-giving  wells,  so  Ederyn  hailed  this  sum- 
mons to  the  king.  The  soul-consuming  thirst  that 
long  had  urged  him  on  grew  fiercer  as  the  well  of 
consummation  came  in  sight.  Hope  shod  his  feet 
.with  wings,  as  thus  with  every  nerve  a-strain  he 
pushed  toward  the  final  tryst.  So  fearful  was  he 
some  mishap  might  snatch  the  cup  away  ere  it  had 
touched  his  thirsty  lips,  that  three  full  days  before 
the  time  he  reached  the  Vale  of  Avalon,  and  sat 
him  down  outside  the  entrance  to  the  palace. 

"  Now  there  came  prowling  through  the  wood 
that  edged  the  fair  domain  the  gnarled  dwarfs  that 
do  the  will  of  Shudderwain.  And  Shudderwain, 
of  all  the  giants  thereabouts,  most  cruel  was  and  to 
be  feared.  Knowing  full  well  what  pleasure  it 
would  give  the  bloody  monster,  these  dwarfs  laid 


«KEEP  TRYST"  8/ 

evil  hands  on  Ederyn.  Sleeping  they  found  hfm, 
and  bound  him  with  hard  leathern  thongs,  and  then 
with  gibes  and  impish  laughter  dragged  him  into 
a  dungeon  past  the  help  of  man. 

"  Two  days  and  nights  he  lay  there,  raging  at 
fate  and  at  his  helplessness,  till  he  was  well-nigh' 
mad,  bethinking  him  of  all  his  baffled  hopes.  And 
like  a  madman  gnawed  he  on  the  leathern  thongs 
till  he  was  free,  and  beat  his  hands  against  the 
stubborn  rock  that  would  not  yield,  and  threw  him- 
self against  the  walls  that  held  him  in. 

"  The  dwarfs  from  time  to  time  peered  through 
the  slatted  window  overhead  and  mocked  him, 
pointing  with  their  crooked  thumbs. 

"'Ha!  ha!  Thou'lt  keep  no  tryst,'  they  chat- 
tered. '  But  if  thou'lt  swear  upon  thy  oath  to  go 
back  to  the  joyous  garden,  and  hark  no  more  for 
Merlin's  call,  we'll  let  thee  loose  from  out  this 
Dungeon  of  thy  Disappointment.' 

"Then  was  Ederyn  tempted,  for  the  dungeon 
was  foul  indeed,  and  his  heart  cried  out  to  go  back 
to  the  lily  maiden.  But  once  more  in  his  ears  he 
thrust  his  fingers  and  cried : 

"  <  To  the  king's  call  alone  111  list ! 

Oh,  heart  and  hand  of  mine,  keep  tryst—* 
Keep  tryst  or  die ! ' 


88      LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

"  On  the  third  night,  with  the  quiet  of  despair 
he  threw  him  prone  upon  the  dungeon  floor  and 
held  his  peace,  no  longer  gnawing  on  his  thong's 
or  beating  on  the  rock.  A  single  moonbeam  strag- 
gled through  the  slatted  window,  and  by  its  light 
he  saw  a  spider  spinning  out  a  web.  Then,  look- 
ing dully  around,  he  saw  the  dungeon  was  hung 
thick  with  other  webs,  foul  with  the  dust  of  years. 
Great  festoons  of  the  cobweb  film  shrouded  his 
prison  walls.  As  up  and  down  the  hairy  creature 
swung  itself  upon  its  thread,  the  hopeless  eyes  of 
Ederyn  followed  it. 

"  All  in  a  twinkling  he  saw  how  he  might  profit 
by  the  spider's  teaching,  and  clapped  his  hand  across 
his  mouth  to  keep  from  shouting  out  his  joy,  so 
that  the  dwarfs  could  hear.  Now  once  more  like 
a  madman  rushing  at  the  walls,  he  tore  down  all 
the  dusty  webs,  and  twisted  them  together  in  long 
strands.  These  strands  he  braided  in  thick  ropes 
and  tied  them,  knotting  them  and  twisting  and 
doubling  once  again.  All  the  while  he  kept  bewail- 
ing the  stupid  way  in  which  he  wasted  time. 
'  Three  days  ago  I  might  have  quit  this  den/  he 
sighed,  '  had  I  but  used  the  means  that  lay  at  hand. 
Full  well  I  knew  that  heaven  always  finds  a  way 
to  help  the  man  who  helps  himself.  No  creature 


"JsTJSEP   TRYST  »  89 

lives  too  mean  to  be  of  service,  and  even  dungeon 
walls  must  harbour  help  for  him  who  boldly  grasps 
the  first  thing  that  he  sees  and  makes  it  serve  him.' 

So  fast  and  furiously  he  worked  that,  long  before 
the  moonbeam  faded,  his  cobweb  rope  was  strong 
enough  to  bear  his  weight,  and  long  enough  to 
reach  twice  over  to  the  slatted  window  overhead. 
By  many  trials  he  at  last  succeeded  in  throwing  it 
around  a  spike  that  barred  the  window,  and,  climb- 
ing up,  he  forced  the  slats  apart  and  clambered 
through.  Then  tying  the  rope's  end  to  the  window, 
he  slid  down  all  the  dizzy  cliffside  in  which  the 
dwarfs  had  dug  the  dungeon,  and  dropped  into  the 
stream  that  ran  below. 

"  Lo,  when  he  looked  around  him  it  was  dawn. 
Midsummer  morn  it  was,  and,  plunging  through  the 
wood,  he  heard  the  lark's  song  rise,  and  reached 
the  palace  gate  just  as  it  opened  to  the  blare  of 
trumpets  for  the  king's  train  to  ride  forth.  When 
Ederyn  saw  the  royal  cavalcade,  he  shrunk  back 
into  the  wayside  bushes,  so  ill-befitting  did  it  seem 
that  he  should  come  before  the  king  in  tattered 
garments,  with  blood  upon  his  hands  where  the 
sharp  rocks  had  cut,  and  with  foul  dungeon  stains. 

"  But  that  the  king  might  know  he'd  ever  proven 
faithful,  he  sank  upon  his  knees  and  bared  his  breast 


90      LITTLE   COLONEUS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

at  his  approach.  There  all  the  pledges  glistened  in 
the  sunlight,  in  rainbow  hues.  There  Pain  had 
dropped  her  heart's  blood  in  a  glittering  ruby,  and 
Honour  set  her  seal  upon  him  in  a  golden  star. 
A  diamond  gleamed  where  Sorrow's  tear  had  fallen, 
and  amethysts  glowed  now  with  purple  splendour 
to  mark  his  patient  meeting  with  Defeat.  But 
mostly  were  the  pledges  little  pearls  for  little  duties 
faithfully  performed;  and  there  they  shone,  and, 
as  the  people  gazed,  they  saw  the  jewels  take  the 
shape  of  letters,  so  that  the  king  read  out  before 
them  all,  '  Semper  Udelis! 

"  Then  drew  the  king  his  royal  sword  and  lightly 
smote  on  Ederyn's  shoulder,  and  cried :  '  Arise,  Sir 
Knight,  Sir  Ederyn  the  Trusty.  Since  I  may  trust 
thee  to  the  utmost  in  little  things  as  well  as  great, 
since  thou  of  all  men  art  most  worthy,  henceforth 
by  thy  king's  heart  thou  shalt  ride,  ever  to  be  his 
faithful  guard  arid  comrade.' 

"  So  there  before  them  all  he  did  him  honour, 
and  ordered  that  a  prancing  steed  be  brought  and 
a  good  sword  buckled  on  his  side. 

"  Thus  Ederyn  won  his  sovereign's  favour. 
Soon,  by  his  sovereign's  grace  permitted,  he  went 
back  to  the  joyous  garden  to  woo  the  lily  maiden. 
When  he  had  won  his  bride  and  borne  her  to  the 


"KEEP   TRYST  n  91 

palace,  then  was  his  great  reward  complete  for  all 
his  years  of  fealty  to  his  vow.  Then  out  into  the 
world  he  went  to  guard  his  king.  Henceforth 
blazoned  on  his  shield  and  helmet  he  bore  the  crest 
—  a  heart  with  hand  that  grasped  a  spear,  and, 
underneath  these  words: 

"'I  keep  the  tryst!'" 

Slipping  the  white  ribbon  back  between  the  pages 
to  mark  the  place,  Miss  Chilton  laid  the  little  green 
and  gold  volume  on  the  table,  and  smiled  at  the 
circle  of  attentive  faces. 

"  I  am  sure  you  understand  why  I  have  read  this 
story,"  she  said.  "  It  is  the  motto  of  the  school. 
Tradition  has  it  that  Sir  Ederyn  was  an  ancient 
member  of  Madam  Chartley's  family.  At  any  rate, 
it  has  borne  his  crest  for  many,  many  generations, 
and  there  could  be  no  better  motto  for  a  school. 
The  world  expects  us  to  do  certain  things.'  We 
must  keep  tryst  with  these  expectations.  You  all 
know  what  happened  yesterday.  Madam  looks  for 
a  certain  course  of  conduct  from  her  girls.  She 
does  not  make  rules.  She  only  expects  what  the 
inborn  instinct  of  a  true  lady  would  prompt  you 
to  do  or  to  be.  I  am  sure  that  after  this  explana- 


92      LITTLE   COLONEL'S   CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

tion  none  of  you  will  fail  to  keep  tryst  with  her 
expectations." 

That  was  the  only  public  reference  to  Maud's 
escapade.  She  left  the  room  with  a  very  red  face 
when  the  class  was  dismissed.  The  little  story 
put  her  so  plainly  in  the  wrong  before  the  other 
girls  that  it  made  her  cross  and  uncomfortable. 

Every  member  of  the  class  had  five  marks  to 
her  credit,  and  Betty  was  the  lucky  one  whose  al- 
most literal  reproduction  of  the  story  gave  her  ten. 
She  copied  it  all  down  in  her  white  record  after- 
ward, adding  a  verse  that  she  had  once  seen  in 
an  autograph  album1: 

"  Life  is  a  rosary 

Strung  with  the  beads  of  little  deeds, 
Done  humbly,  Lord,  as  unto  thee." 

She  repeated  the  verse  aloud  to  Lloyd.  "  I'd 
like  to  make  that  kind  of  a  rosary.  I'd  like  to  act 
out  that  story.  It  just  strikes  my  fancy.  It  would 
be  such  a  satisfaction  to  lay  aside  a  token  each 
night,  as  Ederyn  did,  that  I  had  kept  tryst  with 
duty,  —  had  perfect  lessons,  or  lived  through  a 
day  just  as  nearly  right  as  I  possibly  could." 

She  went  on  writing  after  she  had  made  the 
remark,  but  Lloyd,  pleased  by  the  thought,  sat  star- 


UKEEP   TRYST"  93 

ing  at  the  lamp.  It  was  nearly  bedtime,  and  pres- 
ently, putting  aside  her  book,  she  rose  and  crossed 
over  to  the  bureau.  In  a  sandalwood  box  in  the 
top  drawer  was  a  broken  fan-chain  of  white  beads 
—  tiny  Roman  pearls  that  she  had  bought  in  a 
shop  in  the  Via  Crucia.  She  had  intended  to  string 
them  sometime,  mixing  with  them  here  and  there 
some  curious  blue  beads  she  had  seen  made  at  a 
glass-blower's  in  Venice  —  large  blue  ones  with  tiny 
roses  on  the  sides. 

Betty,  busy  with  her  diary,  did  not  notice  how 
long  Lloyd  stood  with  her  back  toward  her,  pour- 
ing the  little  Roman  pearls  from  one  hand  to  the 
other. 

"  It  seems  almost  babyish,"  Lloyd  was  saying  to 
herself.  "  But  othah  girls  keep  memory-books  and 
such  things,  and  this  is  such  a  pretty  idea.  No 
one  need  know.  Yes,  I'll  begin  the  rosary  this  very 
night,  for  every  lesson  was  perfect  to-day,  and  I 
truly  tried  my  best  in  everything." 

Hesitating  an  instant  longer,  she  rummaged 
through  the  drawer  for  a  piece  of  fine  white  silk 
cord  which  she  remembered  having  placed  there. 
When  she  found  it,  she  knotted  one  end  securely, 
and  then  slowly  slipped  one  little  pearl  bead  down 
against  the  knot. 


94      LITTLE   COLO  NEDS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

"  There !  "  she  thought,  with  a  hasty  glance  over 
her  shoulder  at  Betty,  as  she  dropped  the  string  back 
into  its  box.  "  There's  one  token  that  I've  kept 
tryst,  even  if  I  nevah  earn  any  moah.  I'm  going 
to  have  that  string  half-full  by  vacation." 


CHAPTER   V. 

A    MEMORY  -  BOOK    AND    A    SOUVENIR    SPOON 

THE  string  of  white  beads  grew  steadily,  but 
work  went  hand  in  hand  with  play  at  Warwick 
Hall,  as  Kitty's  memory-book  testified.  She  brought 
it  out  to  liven  the  recreation  hour  one  rainy  after- 
noon, late  in  the  term,  when  they  were  house-bound 
by  the  weather.  Its  covers,  labelled  "  Gala  Days 
and  Bonfire  Nights,"  were  bulging  with  souvenirs 
of  many  memorable  occasions.  She  sat  on  the 
floor  with  it  spread  open  on  her  lap.  Betty  was 
on  one  side  and  Lloyd  on  the  other,  while  Gay 
leaned  against  her  back  and  looked  over  her  shoul- 
der. 

Kitty  opened  her  treasure-house  of  mementos 
with  a  giggle,  for  on  the  first  page  was  a  water- 
colour  sketch  of  Gay  as  -she  had  appeared  on  the 
welcoming  night.  She  had  painted  her  with  two 
enormous  feet  protruding  from  her  flowing  skirts, 
one  cased  in  a  party  slipper  with  an  exaggerated 
French  heel,  the  other  in  a  down-trodden  bedroom 
slipper  painted  a  brilliant  crimson. 
95 


96      LITTLE   COLONEDS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

"You  mean  thing!"  cried  Gay,  laughing  over 
the  ridiculous  caricature  of  herself. 

"  That  isn't  a  circumstance  to  some  of  them," 
remarked  Allison,  who  was  virtuously  spending 
her  recreation  hour  in  sewing  buttons  on  her  gloves 
and  mending  a  rip  in  the  lining  of  her  coat-sleeve. 
"  Wait  till  you  come  to  the  programme  of  the 
recital  given  by  the  students  of  voice,  violin,  and 
piano.  The  pictures  she  made  all  around  the  mar- 
gin of  it  are  some  of  the  best  she  has  done.  The 
sketch  of  Susie  Tyndall,  tearing  her  hair  and  shriek- 
ing out  the  '  Polish  Boy/  is  simply  killing." 

"  Kitty  Walton,"  exclaimed  Gay,  as  she  bent  over 
the  grotesquely  decorated  programme,  "  where  do 
you  keep  this  book  o'  nights?  I'll  surely  have  to 
steal  it.  Think  what  it  will  be  worth  to  us  when 
we  are  old  ladies.  There's  one  thing  certain,  you 
could  never  pose  as  a  saintly  old  grandmother  with 
such  a  record  for  mischief  as  this  to  bear  witness 
against  you." 

Kitty  looked  up  with  a  startled  expression. 
"  You  know,  it  never  occurred  to  me  before  that 
I'd  ever  look  at  this  book  through  spectacles.  I 
wonder  if  I'll  find  it  as  amusing  then,  when  I'm 
dignified  and  rheumatic,  as  I  do  now." 

"  I'm  sure  that  will  be  pleasant  to  recall,"  said 


A   MEMORY-BOOK  AND   A   SOUVENIR  SPOON     97 

Betty,  pointing  to  a  withered  rose  pinned  to  the 
next  page.  "  That  will  properly  impress  your 
grandchildren." 

Underneath  the  rose  was  written  the  date  of  'a 
private  reception  granted  the  Warwick  Hall  girls 
at  the  White  House. 

"  I  had  such  a  lovely  time  that  afternoon,"  sighed 
Betty.  "  It  was  so  much  nicer  to  go  as  we  did, 
for  a  friendly  little  visit  under  Madam's  wing,  than 
to  have  pushed  by  in  a  big  public  mob.  Wasn't 
Cora  Basket  funny?  She  was  so  overawed  by  the 
honour  that  she  fairly  turned  purple.  Her  room- 
mate vows  that,  when  she  wrote  home,  she  began, 
'  Preserve  this  letter !  The  hand  that  is  now  writ- 
ing it  has  been  shaken  by  the  President  of  the 
United  States  of  America ! ' ' 

"  Cordie  Brown  was  funnier  than  Cora,"  said 
Allison.  "  She  wanted  to  impress  people  with  the 
idea  that  the  affair  was  nothing  to  her.  That  it 
rather  bored  her,  in  fact.  She  went  around  with 
her  nose  in  the  air,  trying  to  appear  so  superior 
and  indifferent,  as  if  crowned  heads  and  their  ilk 
made  her  tired." 

"  What's  this  ?  "  demanded  Lloyd,  as  they  turned 
the  next  leaf,  through  which  a  single  long  black 


98      LITTLE   COLONEVS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

hair  had  been  drawn.  Underneath  was  the  grue- 
some legend,  "  Dead  men  tell  no  tales." 

"  Oh,  that's  only  a  'hair  from  the  tail  of  the  dog 
of  the  child  of  the  wife  of  the  wild  man  of  Bor- 
neo,' "  laughed  Kitty,  attempting  to  turn  the  page; 
but  Lloyd,  laying  both  palms  across  it,  held  it  fast. 

"  You  know  it's  not,  you  naughty  thing.  You've 
been  up  to  some  prank." 

"  It  a  p.  j.  A  private  joke,"  explained  Kitty, 
bending  over  the  book  and  laughing  till  her  fore- 
head touched  her  knees.  "  I'm  dying  to  tell  you, 
for  it's  the  funniest  thing  in  the  collection.  It  hap- 
pened at  the  Hallowe'en  party,  and  I  promised  not 
to  tell." 

"  Promised  whom  ?  "   demanded  Betty. 

"  Can't  tell  that,  either,"  was  all  that  Kitty  would 
say.  She  flipped  over  the  next  leaf.  A  gilded  wish- 
bone was  fastened  to  the  page  by  the  bit  of  red 
ribbon  run  through  it. 

"  That's  '  In  Memoriam  '  of  the  grand  spread 
at  the  Thanksgiving  Day  feast.  And  this  button 
pasted  on  just  below  it,  popped  off  the  glove  of 
Mademoiselle  La  Tosto  the  afternoon  she  came  to 
the  Studio  Tea  and  Art  reception.  You  know  how 
the  girls  buzzed  around  her  like  a  swarm  of  bees, 
begging  for  her  autograph.  I'd  rather  have  this 


A  MEMORY- BOOK  AND  A   SOUVENIR  SPOON     99 

button  than  a  dozen  autographs,  for  it  dropped  off 
her  glove  as  she  clapped  her  hands  in  that  vivacious 
Frenchy  way  of  hers,  when  she  saw  my  caricature 
of  Paderewski  that  the  girls  stuck  up  on  the  wall. 
Understand,  young  ladies,  she  was  applauding  it. 
I  walked  on  air  all  afternoon." 

"  Why  undah  the  sun  have  you  saved  this  tea 
leaf?"  asked  Lloyd,  pointing  to  one  pasted  care- 
fully in  the  corner  of  the  next  page. 

"  Don't  you  remember  the  day  that  we  went  down 
to  Mammy  Easter's  cabin,  and  her  old  black  grand- 
mother was  there,  and  told  our  fortunes?  She 
was  a  regular  old  hag,  Gay.  I  wish  you  could  have 
seen  her,  —  teeth  all  gone;  skin  puckered  as  a  dried 
apple;  she  looked  more  monkey  than  human.  But 
she's  a  fine  fortune-teller.  I  made  a  few  hiero- 
glyphics to  recall  what  she  said.  This  mark  is 
supposed  to  be  a  coach  and  four.  She  said  that 
Allison  was  to  wed  wid  de  quality  and  ride  in  a 
car' age,  but  sorrow  would  be  her  po'shun  if  she 
walked  proud.  She  said  that  I'm  bawn  to  trouble 
as  de  spah'ks  fly  upwa'd,  case  I  won't  hah'k  to 
counsel,  and  that  I  mustn't  marry  the  first  man  that 
axes  me,  and  I  mustn't  marry  the  second  man  that 
axes  me,  but  the  third  man  that  axes  me,  him  I 
can  safely  marry.  This  tea  leaf  stands  for  the  third 


lOO  LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

man.  I'm  to  have  three  sons  and  one  daughter, 
and  my  luck  will  come  to  me  through  running  water 
when  the  weather-vane  points  west." 

Kitty  pointed  to  several  pencil  scratches  beside 
the  tea  leaf,  intended  to  signify  a  brook  and  a 
weather-vane  on  a  steeple. 

"  What  did  she  say  about  Betty?  "  asked  Gay. 

Kitty  studied  the  next  line  of  hieroglyphics  a 
moment.  "  Oh,  I  see  now.  I  intended  this  for 
a  ship.  She  said  there  was  a  veil  done  hanging 
ovah  her  future,  so  she  couldn't  rightly  tell,  but 
she  could  see  ships  coming  and  going  and  crowds 
of  people,  and  she  could  see  that  her  fortune  was 
mixed  up  with  a  great  many  other  persons.  She 
said  that  the  teacup  held  gold  for  her,  and  the  signs 
all  '  pinted  friendly.'  " 

"And  Lloyd?"  queried  Gay,  trying  to  decipher 
the  next  line  of  pencil  marks.  "  Surely  that's  not 
a  cat  I  see." 

"  A  cat,  a  teapot,  and  a  ball  of  knitting,"  laughed 
Kitty.  "  I  supposed  that  Lloyd's  fortune  would 
be  something  thrilling,  but  according  to  the  old 
darky,  it's  to  be  the  tamest  of  all.  She  said,  '  I  see 
a  rising  sun,  and  a  row  of  lovahs,  but  I  don't  see 
you  a-taking  any  of  'em,  honey.  Yo'  ways  am 
ways  of  pleasantness  and  all  yo'  paths  am  peace, 


A   MEMORY- BOOK  AND  A   SOUVENIR  SPOON  IOI 

but  I'se  powahful  skeered  dat  you'se  gwine  to  be 
an  ole  maid.  I  sholy  is.'  " 

"Is  that  so,  Lloyd?"  asked  Gay,  leaning-  over 
Kitty's  shoulder  to  laugh  at  the  Little  Colonel's 
teased  expression.  Kitty  answered  for  her. 

"  Not  if  we  can  help  it.  We  want  her  for  a 
cousin,  and  we  think  that  she  ought  to  marry  Mal- 
colm just  for  the  sake  of  being  able  to  claim  us 
as  her  dear  relations.  Look  how  she's  blushing, 
girls." 

"  I'm  not !  "  was  the  indignant  answer.  "  You're 
just  trying  to  make  me  get  red,  because  you  know 
I  do  it  so  easily." 

She  turned  the  page  hastily  and  began  to  talk 
about  its  contents  to  change  the  subject.  There 
were  scraps  of  ribbon,  as  they  went  farther  on, 
a  burnt  match,  a  peacock  feather,  a  tiny  block  of 
wood  with  a  hole  shot  through  it,  a  strand  of  em- 
broidery silk,  a  faded  pansy,  —  a  hundred  bits  of 
worthless  rubbish  which  an  unknowing  hand  would 
have  swept  into  the  waste-basket;  but  to  Kitty  each 
one  was  a  key  to  unlock  some  happy  memory  of 
her  swiftly  passing  school-days.  As  the  four  heads, 
brown  and  golden,  black  and  auburn,  bent  over  the 
book,  the  rain  beat  against  the  windows  in  torrents. 

With  needle  in  air,  Allison  sat  a  moment  watch- 


IO2  LITTLE  COLONEL: s  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

ing  the  water  stream  down  the  pane.  "  This  makes 
me  think  of  that  afternoon  in  old  Lloydsboro  Semi- 
nary," she  said,  musingly,  "  when  Ida  Shane  read 
the  '  Fortunes  of  Daisy  Dale '  aloud  to  us.  I  won- 
der what  has  become  of  Ida.  She  was  living  in 
a  little  country  town  up  in  the  mountains  the  last 
time  I  heard  of  her,  taking  in  sewing  and  doing  her 
own  work." 

"  She's  the  girl  who  caused  so  much  excitement 
at  the  Seminary,"  Betty  explained  to  Gay.  "  The 
one  who  got  our  Shadow  Club  into  disgrace.  She 
tried  to  elope  one  night,  but  the  teachers  found 
it  out  and  sent  her  home.  It  didn't  do  any  good, 
for  she  ran  away  with  Ned  Bannon  the  next  sum- 
mer, and  they  were  married  by  a  justice  of  the 
peace.  I  don't  see  how  Ida  could  do  it  when  she'd 
always  been  so  romantic,  and  planned  to  have  her 
wedding  just  like  Daisy  Dale's,  in  cherry  blossom 
time,  and  in  the  little  stone  church  at  Lloydsboro, 
with  the  vines  over  the  belfry.  It's  so  quaint  and 
English  looking,  just  like  the  one  that  Daisy  was 
married  in.  Instead  of  being  all  in  white,  she  was 
married  in  the  dress  she  happened  to  have  on  when 
she  ran  away,  —  just  an  old  black  walking  skirt 
and  plaid  shirt-waist.  No  veil,  no  trail,  and  no 
orange-blossoms,  and  she  had  counted  on  having 


A  MEMORY- BOOK  AND  A  SOUVENIR  SPOON  1 03 

all  three.  It  was  so  prosy  and  commonplace  after 
the  grand  things  she  had  planned." 

"  She's  had  it  prosy  enough  ever  since,  too," 
remarked  Allison.  "  Ned  drinks  so  hard  that  he 
can't  keep  a  position.  She  didn't  reform  him  one 
single  bit,  and  I  reckon  she  understands  now  why 
her  aunt  objected  so  strongly  to  her  marrying  him. 
Poor  Ida,  to  think  of  her  having  to  take  in  sewing 
to  keep  her  from  actual  starvation !  It's  awful !  " 

"  Poah  Ida !  "  echoed  Lloyd.  "  I  don't  see  how 
she  does  it.  When  she  was  in  the  Seminary,  she 
couldn't  do  anything  with  her  needle  but  embroidah. 
I  used  to  have  Mom  Beck  do  her  mending  and 
darning  when  she  did  mine." 

"  Thank  fortune  my  mending  is  done ! "  ex- 
claimed Allison,  dropping  her  thimble  into  her 
work-bag,  and  throwing  her  coat  across  a  chair. 
"  It's  almost  time  for  the  bell.  I  must  take  Juliet 
Lynn  the  papers  I  promised  her." 

Lloyd  and  Betty,  looking  at  the  clock,  scrambled 
to  their  feet,  and  a  moment  after  only  Gay  and 
Kitty  were  left  on  the  rug  with  the  memory-book 
open  between  them. 

"  Do  you  think  that  Lloyd  really  cares  for  your 
cousin  ?  "  asked  Gay. 

"  No,"  was  the  emphatic  answer.  "  You  can  make 


104  LITTLE  COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

her  blush  that  way  about  anybody,  and  I  love  to 
tease  her.  When  she  first  came  back  from  Arizona, 
I  used  to  think  she  liked  Phil  Tremont,  a  boy  she 
met  out  there,  and  then  I  thought  maybe  it  was 
Joyce's  brother  Jack.  She  talked  so  much  about  the 
duck  hunts  they  had  together,  and  what  a  splen- 
did fellow  he  was,  and  how  much  her  father  ad- 
mired him.  But  the  Princess  is  so  particular  that 
I  believe  the  old  darky  told  her  fortune  truly.  If 
she's  so  particular  at  fifteen,  '  I'se  powahful  skeered 
she's  gwine  to  be  an  old  maid.  I  sholy  is.'  For 
what  will  she  be  at  twice  fifteen  ?  " 

Gay  laughed  at  the  imitation  of  the  old  coloured 
woman,  then  asked :  "  But  doesn't  your  cousin 
come  up  to  her  standard?  According  to  Maud 
Minor  he  is  as  handsome  as  a  Greek  god,  as  accom- 
plished as  all  the  Muses  put  together,  and  as  enter- 
taining as  a  four-ring  circus." 

"Oh,  Malcolm's  all  right,"  answered  Kitty. 
"  We're  awfully  fond  of  him,  but  we're  not  so  crazy 
about  him  as  to  think  all  that.  I  have  a  picture  of 
him  somewhere  in  my  box  of  photographs,  if  you'd 
like  to  see  it." 

Climbing  on  a  chair  to  reach  the  box  on  the  top 
of  the  wardrobe,  she  took  it  down  and  began  rum- 
maging through  it.  In  a  moment  she  tossed  a  pho- 


STUDYING    THE    FACE    OF    THE    HANDSOME    YOUNG    FELLOW 
WITH    INTEREST  " 


A   MEMORY- BOOK  AND   A   SOUVENIR  SPOON  1 05 

tograph  to  Gay,  who  still  sat  on  the  floor,  Turk 
fashion. 

"  Here  is  one  he  had  taken  years  ago  when  he 
and  Keith  used  to  play  they  were  two  little  Knights 
of  Kentucky,  and  went  around  trying  to  set  the 
wrongs  of  the  world  to  rights." 

While  Gay  was  still  exclaiming  over  it,  she  threw 
down  another.  "  Here's  the  one  I  was  looking  for. 
It  was  taken  this  summer  at  Narragansett  Pier  on 
his  polo  pony." 

Gay  seized  it,  studying  the  face  of  the  handsome 
young  fellow  with  interest.  "  Why,  he's  almost 
grown !  "  she  cried. 

"  Yes,  he's  nearly  eighteen,  and  he  is  even  better 
looking  than  that  picture.  And  here's  Keith,  the 
one  I'm  so  fond  of.  We  always  have  so  much  fun 
when  they  come  out  to  grandmother's  for  the  holi- 
days." 

The  box  slipped  and  the  entire  contents  show- 
ered over  the  floor.  Gay  helped  her  to  put  them 
back  into  the  box,  glancing  at  each  one  as  she 
did  so.  One  in  a  cadet  uniform  attracted  her  at- 
tention. 

"Who's  this?  Now  he's  the  one  I'd  like  to 
know.  I  suppose  it's  because  I've  lived  at  an  army 


IO6  LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

post  always  that  I  adore  anything  military.  He 
looks  interesting." 

Kitty  leaned  over  to  look.  "  Oh,  that's  my 
brother  Ranald.  He's  away  at  military  school. 
Won't  he  be  teased  when  I  tell  him  what  you  said  ? 
He's  dreadfully  bashful  with  girls,  though  you'd 
think  he  oughtn't  to  be.  He  was  under  fire  ever 
so  many  times  with  papa  in  the  Philippines  when 
he  was  a  little  chap.  You  know  he  was  the  young- 
est captain  in  the  army,  at  one  time,  and  was  on 
General  Grant's  staff  when  he  was  still  in  short 
trousers." 

"  Why,  of  course,  I  know,"  cried  Gay,  enthusi- 
astically. "  I  heard  some  officers  talking  about  it 
one  night  at  dinner  just  after  it  happened.  Papa 
toasted  '  The  Little  Captain  '  in  such  a  pretty  speech 
that  the  officers  who  had  fought  with  your  father 
cheered.  But  I  never  dreamed  then  that  I'd  ever 
know  his  sister,  or  be  sitting  here  holding  his  pic- 
ture, talking  about  him.  I'm  going  to  take  pos- 
session of  this,"  she  added,  when  all  the  other  pho- 
tographs were  back  in  the  box. 

"  You  don't  care,  do  you  ?  I'd  like  it  to  add  to 
my  collection  of  heroes.  I'll  put  it  in  a  frame  made 
of  brass  buttons  and  crossed  guns  and  all  sorts 


A  MEMORY-BOOK  AND  A   SOUVENIR  SPOON   IO/ 

of  ornaments  that  the  officers  have  given  me  off 
of  their  uniforms." 

"  No,  I  don't  care,"  answered  Kitty.  "  Allison 
has  one  like  it,  and  I  can  get  another  any  time 
by  writing  home  for  it.  I  wish  you  would  take 
it,  for  that  would  give  me  such  a  fine  thing  to  tease 
him  about.  I  could  worry  him  nearly  distracted." 

"  I  don't  care  how  much  you  tease  him  so  long 
as  I  may  keep  the  picture,"  laughed  Gay.  "  I'm 
a  thousand  times  obliged  to  you." 

As  she  sat  looking  at  it,  she  exclaimed,  suddenly : 
"  Kitty  Walton,  you're  an  awfully  lucky  girl  to 
have  such  nice  boys  in  your  family.  I  wish  I  knew 
them.  I  haven't  a  brother  or  even  a  forty-second 
cousin." 

"  Well,  you  can  know  them  if  you'll  come  home 
with  me  to  spend  the  Christmas  vacation.  Ranald 
always  brings  a  boy  home  with  him  for  the  holi- 
days, and  mother  said  Allison  and  I  might  bring 
a  friend.  I'm  sure  she'd  rather  have  you  than  any- 
body else,  she  knows  your  father  and  mother  so 
well." 

The  amber  lights  in  Gay's  brown  eyes  deepened. 
"Oh,  I'd  love  to!"  she  cried.  "I'd  dearly  love 
to!  It's  too  far  to  go  away  back  to  San  Antonio 
for  such  a  short  time,  and  I  hated  to  think  of  the 


IO8    LITTLE   COLONEUS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

holidays,  knowing"  I'd  have  to  stay  here  at  the  Hall, 
with  all  you  girls  gone.  Are  you  sure  your  mother 
won't  object  ?  " 

"  You  wait  and  see,"  advised  Kitty.  "  You  don't 
know  mammy !  You'll  not  have  any  doubt  of  your 
welcome  when  her  letter  comes." 

"  Oh,  it  would  be  too  lovely  for  anything !  "  ex- 
claimed Gay,  listening  with  a  far-away  look  in  her 
eyes,  as  Kitty  began  outlining  plans  for  the  coming 
holidays.  Presently,  in  sheer  joy  at  the  prospect, 
they  pulled  each  other  up  from  the  floor,  and, 
springing  on  to  the  bed,  danced  a  Highland  fling 
in  the  middle  of  it,  till  a  slat  fell  out  with  a  terri- 
fying crash. 

With  the  coming  of  December  the  holiday  gaie- 
ties began.  A  spirit  of  festivity  lurked  in  the  very 
air.  A  mock  Christmas  tree  was  one  of  the  yearly 
features  of  the  school,  when  each  pupil's  pet  fad 
or  peculiarity  was  suggested  by  appropriate  gifts. 
Preparations  for  the  tree  began  early  in  the  month, 
and  whispered  consultations  were  carried  on  in 
every  corner,  with  much  giggling  and  profound 
assurances  of  secrecy. 

The  practising  of  Christmas  carols  went  on  in 
the  music-rooms,  and  snatches  of  them  floated  down 


A  MEMORY-BOOK  AND  A   SOUVENIR  SPOON   1 09 

the  halls  and  through  the  building,  till  the  blithe 
young  hearts  were  filled  to  overflowing  with  the 
cheer  and  good-will  of  the  sweet  old  melodies. 
Now  the  usual  Monday  sightseeing  gave  way  to 
shopping,  and  every  moment  that  could  be  snatched 
from  school  work  was  given  to  crochet-needles  and 
embroidery-hoops,  to  the  finishing  of  an  endless 
variety  of  gifts,  and  the  wrapping  of  same  in  mys- 
terious packages. 

One  Monday  Betty  did  not  join  the  others  in 
their  weekly  shopping  expedition.  Her  few  pur- 
chases had  been  made,  and  she  wanted  the  day  to 
work  on  unfinished  gifts.  She  was  making  most 
of  them  with  her  needle.  She  was  glad  afterward 
that  she  had  decided  to  stay  when  a  slow  winter 
rain  began  to  fall.  It  melted  the  light  snow-fall 
which  whitened  the  ground  into  a  disagreeable 
compound  of  slush  and  mud. 

It  was  almost  dark  when  Kitty  and  Allison  burst 
into  the  room,  their  arms  full  of  bundles,  and  began 
displaying  their  purchases.  Lloyd  followed  more 
slowly,  and,  dropping  her  packages  on  the  floor 
by  the  radiator,  stood  trying  to  warm  her  fingers 
through  her  wet  gloves.  Presently,  in  the  midst 
of  the  exhibition,  with  her  hat  still  on,  she  flung 
herself  across  her  bed,  piled  up  as  it  was  with 


IIO  LITTLE  COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

strings  and  crumpled  wrapping-paper.  "  Excuse 
me  if  I  mash  your  bargains,  Kitty,"  she  said,  weakly, 
closing  her  eyes.  "  But  I'm  as  limp  as  a  rag !  So 
ti'ahed  — "I  feel  as  if  I  were  falling  to  pieces.  We 
tramped  around  in  the  wet  so  long,  and  then  inside 
the  stores  there  were  such  crowds  that  we  were 
pushed  and  jammed  and  stepped  on  everywhere  we 
turned.  It  seemed  to  me  we  waited  hours  for  our 
change.  Then  the  car  we  came  out  on  was  so  ovah- 
heated  that  we  almost  stifled.  I'm  suah  I  caught 
cold  when  the  icy  wind  struck  us  aftah  we  left 
the  station." 

She  shivered  as  she  spoke.  Betty  sprang  up  and 
began  tugging  at  her  wet  wraps. 

"  Don't  lie  there  that  way,"  she  begged.  "  Let 
me  help  you  get  into  some  dry  clothes,  and  ask  the 
housekeeper  for  a  glass  of  hot  milk." 

At  first  Lloyd  protested  that  she  was  too  tired 
to  move.  Betty  could  be  as  persistent  as  a  mosquito 
at  times.  She  insisted  until  Lloyd  finally  allowed 
her  to  have  her  way,  and  got  up  wearily  to  put 
on  the  dry  skirts  and  stockings  which  she  brought 
to  her.  A  hot  dinner  made  her  feel  somewhat  bet- 
ter, but  her  face  was  flushed  when  they  went  up- 
stairs for  the  study  hour.  Betty  saw  her  wipe  her 
eyes  as  she  took  out  her  Latin  grammar,  and  in- 


A  MEMORY -BOOK  AND  A   SOUVENIR  SPOON  III 

stantly  forgave  the  petulant  way  in  which  Lloyd 
had  answered  her  several  times  during  the  evening. 

"  Don't  try  to  study,  Lloyd,"  she  urged.  "  I 
know  you  don't  feel  well." 

"  No,"  acknowledged  the  Little  Colonel,  "  every 
bone  in  my  body  aches,  and  my  head  is  simply  split- 
ting." 

"  Let  me  run  down  to  the  sanitarium  and  ask 
Miss  Gilmer  to  come  up  and  see  if  she  can't  do 
something  for  you,"  began  Betty,  but  Lloyd  inter- 
rupted her,  stamping  her  foot  with  a  touch  of  her 
old  childish  imperiousness. 

"  You  sha'n't  go !  I'm  not  sick !  I've  just  caught 
a  plain  cold." 

"  But  people  don't  catch  just  plain  colds  nowa- 
days," persisted  Betty.  "  They  always  catch  mi- 
crobes at  the  same  time,  that  are  apt  to  turn  into 
la  grippe  and  pneumonia  and  all  sorts  of  dreadful 
things.  '  A  stitch  in  time  saves  nine/  you  know," 
she  added,  wisely,  quoting  from  the  motto  embroid- 
ered on  her  darning-bag,  which  happened  to  be 
hanging  on  a  chair-post  in  the  corner.  "  '  An  ounce 
of  prevention  is  worth  a  pound  of  cure*  every 
time." 

"  Oh,  for  mercy's  sake,  Betty,"  cried  Lloyd,  im- 
patiently, "  let  me  alone  and  don't  be  so  preachy. 


112   LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

I'm  not  going  to  repoa't  a  little  thing  like  a  head- 
ache and  a  soah  throat  to  the  nurse.  She'd  put 
me  to  bed  and  keep  me  there  for  a  week.  I'd  get 
behind  with  my  lessons,  and  lose  all  the  holiday  fun. 
Like  as  not  mothah  and  Papa  Jack  would  come 
straight  aftah  me,  and  take  me  home  befoah  we'd 
had  the  mock  Christmas  tree  or  any  of  the  things 
I've  been  looking  forward  to  so  long." 

Betty  picked  up  her  algebra  again  without  an 
audible  reply,  but  inwardly  she  was  saying :  "  I 
know  she  is  sick,  or  she  wouldn't  be  so  cross." 

The  next  day  found  Lloyd  with  such  high  fever 
that  she  was  installed  at  once  in  the  sanitarium. 
"  It  is  la  grippe  that  she  has,"  the  nurse  told  Betty. 
"  It  is  the  real  thing,  and  not  what  people  always 
claim  to  have  with  an  ordinary  cold.  The  worst 
will  probably  be  over  in  a  few  days,  but  it  will  leave 
her  so  exhausted  and  so  susceptible  to  other  things 
that  I  shall  keep  her  with  me  for  a  week  at  least." 

Lloyd  rebelled  at  first,  but  she  had  to  submit  as 
her  fever  mounted  higher,  and  the  world  grew,  to 
her  blurred  fancy,  one  great,  throbbing  ache.  She 
was  glad  to  give  herself  up  to  Miss  Gilmer's  sooth- 
ing touches.  Mrs.  Sherman  did  not  come,  for  a 
letter  from  the  school  physician  assured  her  that 
Lloyd  was  receiving  every  care  and  attention  that 


A  MEMORY-BOOK  AND  A   SOUVENIR  SPOON  113 

she  could  have  had  at  home,  and  the  case  was  quite 
a  simple  one. 

Miss  Gilmer,  the  nurse,  was  a  big  motherly 
woman,  who  seemed  to  radiate  comfort  and  cheer, 
as  a  stove  does  heat.  After  the  first  few  days,  Lloyd 
would  have  enjoyed  the  time  spent  with  her  in 
the  cheerful  room  assigned  her  had  she  not  been 
haunted  by  the  thought  that  she  was  falling  behind 
her  classes. 

"  It's  a  pretty  good  sawt  of  a  world,  aftah  all," 
she  said  one  day,  as  she  sat  propped  up  among  the 
pillows,  enjoying  a  dainty  mid-afternoon  lunch 
Madam  Chartley  had  personally  prepared  and  sent 
in  hot  from  the  chafing-dish.  Bouillon  in  the  thin- 
nest of  fragile  china,  and  a  toasted  scone  which 
recalled  delightfully  the  little  English  inn  she  had 
visited  near  Kenilworth  ruins.  By  some  oversight, 
no  spoon  had  been  sent  in  on  the  tray,  and  Miss 
Gilmer  supplied  the  deficiency  by  bringing  one  of 
her  own  from  a  little  cabinet  in  the  next  room. 

"  It  has  a  history,"  Miss  Gilmer  said,  and  Lloyd 
looked  at  it  with  interest  before  dipping  it  into  the 
cup. 

"Why,  the  handle  is  a  May-pole!"  she  ex- 
claimed, with  pleasure.  "  And  the  date  down  among 
the  garlands  is  the  queen's  birthday,  isn't  it?  I 


114   LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

remembah  we  were  up  in  the  Burns  country  that 
day,  when  we  saw  the  school-children  celebrating 
it." 

"  To  think  of  an  American  girl  remembering  that 
date !  "  cried  Miss  Gilmer,  in  a  pleased  tone.  "  It 
is  a  great  day  on  my  calendar,  for  it  was  then  that 
I  met  Madam  Chartley,  for  the  first  time,  on  the 
queen's  birthday.  She  has  been  my  good  angel 
ever  since.  It  was  she  who  sent  me  that  May-pole 
spoon,  as  a  souvenir  of  that  meeting." 

"  Oh,  would  you  tell  me  about  it  ?  "  asked  Lloyd. 
"  It  sounds  so  interesting." 

Taking  up  some  needlework  from  a  basket  on 
the  table,  Miss  Gilmer  leaned  back  as  if  to  begin 
a  long  story. 

"  There  isn't  so  much  to  tell,  after  all,"  she  said, 
pausing  to  thread  her  needle.  "  It  was  long  ago, 
when  Madam  Chartley  was  Alicia  Raeburn,  and  I 
was  a  bashful  little  English  schoolgirl  at  St.  Agnes 
Hall.  Alicia  had  come  from  America  to  visit  her 
uncle,  who  was  proctor  of  the  cathedral.  His 
grounds  joined  the  school  premises  on  the  south, 
and  I  often  used  to  peep  through  the  hedge  and 
watch  her  strolling  around  the  garden.  She  was 
older  than  I,  and  the  difference  in  our  ages  seemed 
greater  then  than  now,  for  I  was  still  wearing  short 


A  MEMORY- BOOK  AND  A   SOUVENIR  SPOON  11$ 

frocks,  and  she  had  just  put  on  long  ones.  I  had 
heard  that  she  was  to  be  presented  at  court  next 
season.  That,  and  the  fact  that  she  was  an  Ameri- 
can, and  very  beautiful,  and  that  she  looked  lonely 
strolling  around  the  old  proctor's  garden  by  herself, 
threw  a  glamour  of  romance  about  her. 

"  I  would  have  given  a  fortune  to  have  made  her 
acquaintance,  and  I  spent  hours  down  by  the  brook 
dreaming  innocent  little  day-dreams  in  which  I  pic- 
tured such  meetings.  Suddenly  heliotrope  became 
my  favourite  flower  instead  of  roses,  because  she 
so  often  wore  a  bunch  of  it  tucked  in  the  belt  of 
her  gray  dress.  Indeed,  because  she  so  often  wore 
it,  I  grew  to  regard  it  as  sacred  to  her  alone,  and 
felt  that  no  one  else  had  a  right  to  wear  it.  For- 
tunately, at  that  season  of  the  year  it  grew  only 
in  the  proctor's  conservatory,  so  that  the  schoolgirls 
could  not  obtain  it.  I  would  have  inwardly  resented 
it,  if  any  one  of  them  had  taken  such  a  liberty  as 
to  wear  her  flower.  She  seemed  to  me  the  most 
beautiful  and  perfect  creature  I  had  ever  seen,  and 
I  worshipped  her  from  afar,  and  imitated  her  in 
every  way  possible.  I  don't  suppose  you  can  under- 
stand such  an  infatuation." 

"  Indeed  I  do  undahstand,"  interrupted  Lloyd, 
eagerly.  She  was  thinking  of  Ida  Shane,  and  the 


Il6  LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

way  she  had  fallen  under  the  spell  of  her  charming 
personality.  Even  yet  the  odour  of  violets  brought 
back  the  same  little  thrill  it  had  awakened  when 
violets  seemed  made  for  Ida's  exclusive  wearing. 
Miss  Gilmer's  feeling  for  the  beautiful  Alicia  Rae- 
burn  was  no  deeper  than  hers  had  been  for  Ida. 
She  could  readily  understand  about  the  heliotrope. 

"  Well,  then,"  Miss  Gilmer  went  on,  "  you  can 
imagine  my  state  of  mind  when  at  last  I  actually 
met  her.  It  was  on  the  queen's  birthday.  At  our 
school,  instead  of  having  the  May-pole  dance  on 
May-day,  we  waited  until  the  queen's  birthday,  and 
on  that  occasion  Alicia  was  one  of  the  invited 
guests.  It  was  quite  by  accident  she  spoke  to  me. 
She  dropped  her  handkerchief,  and  I  sprang  to  pick 
it  up.  But  she  must  have  seen  the  adoration  in  my 
poor  little  embarrassed  face,  for  I  went  quite  red 
I  am  sure.  I  could  fairly  feel  the  hot  blood  surge 
over  me.  She  said  something  pleasant  to  cover  my 
confusion,  and  then  swept  her  skirts  aside  for  me 
to  share  her  seat.  She  wanted  to  ask  some  ques- 
tions about  the  customs  of  the  school,  she  said. 

"  That  was  the  beginning  of  our  acquaintance. 
Next  day  she  waved  her  handkerchief  over  the 
hedge  to  me,  and  the  next  called  me  over  for  a  little 
chat.  She  was  lonely  in  the  great  garden.  After 


A   MEMORY -BOOK  AND  A   SOUVENIR  SPOON   I  I'J 

awhile  I  plucked  up  courage  to  tell  her  how  I  had 
watched  her  through  the  hedge,  and  dreamed  about 
meeting  her.  I  could  not  put  it  into  words,  but 
she  could  readily  see  that  the  good  Victoria  and 
the  queen  of  the  May  were  not  the  sovereigns  who 
claimed  my  dearest  allegiance.  It  was  the  '  Queen 
Rose  of  the  rosebud  garden  of  girls,'  the  beautiful 
Alicia  Raeburn. 

"  She  went  away  that  summer,  but  we  had  grown 
to  be  such  friends  that  she  promised  to  write  to 
me  once  a  year,  in  order  that  I  might  not  lose  her 
entirely  out  of  my  life.  She  knew  what  a  lonely 
little  orphan  I  was,  and  she  never  denied  me  the 
joy  of  that  yearly  letter.  They  were  full  of  her 
travels  and  the  interesting  experiences  of  her  life, 
for  she  married  a  young  English  officer  and  went 
to  India, 

"  They  came  back  to  England  once.  I  saw  her 
then.  It  was  at  a  great  ball  given  for  the  Prince 
of  Wales  when  he  honoured  the  little  cathedral  town 
with  a  visit.  She  could  hardly  believe  that  I  was 
the  little  schoolgirl  who  had  eyed  her  so  adoringly 
through  the  hedge.  I  had  grown  so  large.  But 
she  found  from  others  what  a  lonely  life  I  had, 
and,  knowing  how  much  her  friendship  meant,  she 
still  gave  me  the  pleasure  of  that  yearly  letter,  writ- 


Il8   LITTLE    COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

ten  on  the  queen's  birthday.  That  she  should  re- 
member through  all  her  busy  years  shows  one  of 
the  finest  traits  of  her  character. 

"  Once  she  was  too  ill  to  write,  but  the  message 
came  just  the  same.  She  sent  this  spoon  with  the 
May-pole  handle,  and  on  her  card  was  scrawled  the 
one  line,  '  I  keep  the  tryst.'  She  had  told  me  the 
story  of  their  family  crest.  You  don't  know  how 
many  times  in  the  next  few  years  the  sight  of  that 
card  and  the  souvenir  spoon  helped  me.  Her  fidelity 
to  a  promise  made  me  rely  on  her  and  her  friendship 
when  all  others  failed  me.  My  guardian  died  and 
left  my  property  in  such  shape  that  I  found  I  would 
Have  to  support  myself,  and  I  began  to  take  training 
for  a  professional  nurse.  When  she  heard  of  it, 
she  wrote  and  told  me  that  she,  too,  had  been 
obliged  by  her  husband's  death  to  earn  her  own 
living,  and  that  she  had  established  this  school  in 
her  great-grandmother's  old  mansion.  She  offered 
me  the  position  of  professional  nurse  here.  I  came 
on  the  next  steamer,  and  have  been  here  ever 
since. 

"  You  don't  know  how  many  times  I've  thought 
how  different  my  life  would  have  been  if  she  had 
failed  in  that  one  little  matter  of  sending  a  yearly 
letter.  No  doubt  it  was  a  bore  to  her  oftentimes, 


A   MEMORY- BOOK  AND  A   SOUVENIR  SPOON  IIQ 

but  it  was  the  line  that  kept  us  in  touch  and  finally 
drew  me  to  this  happy  anchorage.  Alicia  Chartley 
is  a  great  woman,  my  dear.  She  has  left  her  im- 
print on  every  girl  who  has  passed  through  this 
school,  and  there'll  be  a  long  line  of  them  to  rise 
up  and  call  her  blessed.  Not  so  much  for  the  fine 
ladies  she  has  made  of  them  with  her  high-bred 
ways  and  ideals,  but  for  the  example  she  has  set 
them  always  in  that  one  thing.  No  matter  in  how 
small  a  duty,  she  has  never  once  failed  to  keep  the 
tryst." 

Lloyd  would  have  liked  to  ask  some  questions 
about  Madam's  girlhood,  but  some  one  called  Miss 
Gilmer  into  the  office  just  then,  so,  taking  the  tray 
with  its  empty  cup  and  plate,  she  passed  out.  Lloyd 
thumped  her  pillows  and  lay  looking  out  of  the 
window  at  the  sparrows  on  the  balcony  railing. 
All  the  ache  was  gone,  and,  with  a  delightful  sense 
of  drowsiness  and  of  well-being,  she  began  slipping 
into  a  little  doze.  Even  illness  had  its  bright  side, 
she  thought,  languidly.  She  liked  Miss  Gilmer's 
reminiscences.  They  opened  into  a  world  so  de- 
lightfully English.  When  she  came  back  she  would 
ask  for  more  stories.  Down  from  the  distant  music- 
room  stole  the  faint  echo  of  one  of  the  carols.  She 
opened  her  eyes  to  listen. 


I2O  LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

"  God  rest  you,  merry  Christians, 

Let  nothing  you  dismay, 
For  Christ  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
Was  born  on  Christmas  Day." 

Lloyd  liked  that  carol.  "  '  Let  nothing  you  dis- 
may,' "  she  repeated,  softly.  "  No,  it  doesn't  really 
make  any  difference  what  happens,"  she  thought, 
closing  her  eyes  again  and  curling  up  like  a  sleepy 
kitten.  "  It  will  all  come  right  in  the  end,  as  it  did 
with  Miss  Gilmer.  I'll  not  worry  about  missing 
so  many  lessons  and  so  many  pearls  on  my  rosary. 
I'll  just  be  thankful  for  Christmas  and  all  it  brings." 

Again  through  her  drowsy  senses  echoed  the 
refrain,  and  she  dropped  to  sleep,  repeating,  slowly, 
"  '  Let  —  nothing  —  you  —  dismay ! '  " 


CHAPTER   VI. 

CHRISTMAS    CAROLS 

"  THIS  is  the  worst  time  of  all  the  yeah  to  be 
sick,"  fretted  the  Little  Colonel,  pausing  in  her  rest- 
less journey  around  the  room.  She  had  been  pacing 
from  window  to  fireplace  in  the  nurse's  office,  and 
from  fireplace  to  window  again,  watching  the  clock 
and  the  slowly  westering  sun,  as  if  watching  would 
hasten  the  day  to  its  close. 

Miss  Gilmer,  who  was  placidly  knitting,  changed 
needles  without  looking  up.  "  That  is  what  people 
always  say.  I've  never  yet  found  one  whose  cal- 
endar had  a  time  when  illness  would  be  convenient." 

"  But  now,  just  befoah  the  holidays,  a  thousand 
things  are  waiting  to  be  done.  I'm  behind  a  whole 
week  with  my  studies,  and  my  Christmas  presents 
that  I'm  going  to  make  are  scarcely  begun.  You 
haven't  even  let  me  look  at  the  material.  I  feel 
like  a  caged  lion,  and  I'd  like  to  roah  and  claw  and 
ramp  around  till  I'd  smashed  my  ban's." 

121 


122   LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

"  You'll  have  your  liberty  soon,"  laughed  Miss 
Gilmer.  "  I  think  it  will  be  safe  to  let  you  go  down 
to  the  dining-room  this  evening,  and  I'll  give  you 
your  honourable  discharge  in  the  morning.  But, 
if  I  were  in  your  place,  I  would  make  no  attempt 
to  catch  up  with  the  classes  this  term.  I  would 
lock  the  unfinished  presents  away  in  a  drawer,  and 
not  give  any  this  Christmas.  You  ought  to  spend 
the  holidays  as  quietly  as  possible,  doing  nothing 
but  rest." 

Lloyd  turned  toward  her  with  an  exclamation  of 
dismay. 

"Oh,  Miss  Gilmer!  That's  impossible!  We've 
planned  for  a  gayer  Christmas  vacation  than  we've 
evah  had  befoah.  Every  day  will  be  full  to  the 
brim.  And  I  must  make  up  the  recitations  I  have 
missed.  I've  had  such  good  repoah'ts  all  term  that 
I  can't  beah  to  spoil  everything  right  at  the  end. 
When  I  was  in  bed,  feeling  so  bad,  I  made  up  my 
mind  I  wouldn't  worry  about  them,  but  now  I  feel 
as  good  as  new,  only  a  little  weak,  and  one  always 
feels  weak  aftah  fevah.  It's  to  be  expected.  You 
know  I  wasn't  dangerously  ill." 

"  No,"  admitted  Miss  Gilmer,  "  but  your  little 
illness  has  left  you  with  less  strength  than  you  think 
you  have.  You  are  like  an  ice-pond  that  is  just 


CHRISTMAS  CAROLS  123 

beginning  to  freeze  over.  A  very  light  weight  will 
break  it  through  at  that  stage,  but  if  there  is  no 
strain  until  it  has  frozen  properly,  it  can  bear  the 
weight  of  the  most  heavily  loaded  wagons." 

Lloyd  slipped  into  a  chair  and  stared  dismally 
at  the  fire. 

"  But  I  am  strongah  than  you  think,  Miss  Gilmer. 
Except  one  time  when  I  had  the  measles,  I'd  never 
been  sick  in  rny  life  till  last  week.  I  don't  believe 
it's  good  for  people  to  coddle  themselves  and  worry 
all  the  time  for  feah  they  are  going  to  be  ill." 

"  Oh,"  answered  the  nurse,  "  I  fully  agree  with 
you  in  that,  still  I  should  not  be  doing  my  duty  if 
I  did  not  put  up  a  warning  signal  when  I  see  dan- 
ger ahead.  I  do  see  it  now.  You  are  getting  on 
very  nicely,  but  the  ice  is  very  thin,  —  far  too  thin 
for  any  such  extra  weights  as  double  study  hours 
and  holiday  dissipations.  If  you  don't  walk  lightly, 
there'll  be  a  nervous  breakdown." 

Some  one  called  Miss  Gilmer  away  before  she 
could  finish  her  warning,  and  Lloyd  sat  facing  the 
fire  and  this  unpleasant  bit  of  counsel  for  nearly 
half  an  hour.  A  verse  from  her  favourite  carol 
came  echoing  through  the  halls  from  the  distant 
music-room,  for  it  was  practice  hour  again,  but  this 
time  it  did  not  fit  her  mood,  and  it  brought  no  cheer. 


124   LITTLE   COLONELS   CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

It  was  all  well  enough  for  those  girls  up-stairs, 
happy  and  well  and  able  to  do  as  they  pleased,  to 
be  singing  "  Let  nothing  you  dismay,"  but  she 
couldn't  help  being  dismayed  at  Miss  Gilmer's  opin- 
ion of  her  condition.  She  was  ready  to  cry,  think- 
ing how  all  her  holidays  would  be  spoiled  should 
she  follow  the  nurse's  advice. 

With  her  chin  in  her  hand  and  her  elbow  on  the 
arm  of  the  chair,  she  sat  picturing  her  doleful 
Christmas  if  she  could  have  no  part  in  the  giving, 
and  must  be  left  out  of  all  the  merrymaking  they 
had  planned.  Tears  welled  up  into  her  eyes,  and 
her  miserable  reverie  might  have  ended  in  a  down- 
pour had  it  not  been  interrupted  by  the  entrance 
of  Gay  and  Betty.  Having  taken  a  hasty  run  across 
the  terraces,  they  had  obtained  permission  to  spend 
the  rest  of  the  recreation  hour  with  Lloyd. 

"  We  can't  waste  a  minute  now,"  exclaimed  Gay, 
as  she  pulled  out  her  knitting-work  and  began  click- 
ing her  ivory  needles  through  a  rainbow  shawl  she 
was  making.  "  I  believe  Betty  sleeps  with  her  em- 
broidery hoops  under  her  pillow,  and  I  know  that 
Allison  paints  in  her  sleep." 

"  What  would  you  do  if  you  were  in  my  place?  " 
mourned  Lloyd.  She  repeated  the  nurse's  dismal 
warning. 


CHRISTMAS  CAROLS  12$ 

"  Boo !  She  magnifies  her  office,"  said  Gay, 
glancing  over  her  shoulder  to  make  sure  that  they 
were  alone.  "  I  suppose  it  is  perfectly  natural  that 
she  should.  When  you're  with  Miss  White,  she 
makes  you  feel  that  there's  nothing  in  life  to  live 
for  but  Latin.  When  you're  with  Miss  Hooker, 
mathematics  is  the  chief  end  of  man.  With  Pro- 
fessor Stroebel  the  violin  is  the  one  and  only.  So 
of  course  a  professional  nurse  is  in  duty  bound  to 
make  hygiene  the  first  consideration.  Don't  listen 
to  them,  listen  to  me.  I  change  my  mind  a  dozen 
times  a  day,  and  have  a  new  fad  every  fortnight, 
so  it  stands  to  reason  that  my  advice  is  more  broad- 
minded  than  the  advice  of  a  person  who  rides  only 
one  hobby,  and  rides  that  in  a  rut." 

Lloyd  laughed  at  Gay's  foolishness,  but  groaned 
when  Betty  told  her  how  far  the  classes  had  ad- 
vanced during  her  absence  from  recitations. 

"I'll  have  to  work  like  a  beavah  this  next  week 
to  catch  up.  I  stah'ted  out  to  have  perfect  repoah'ts, 
and  I  feel  that  I  must  stick  to  it,  as  Ederyn  did 
when  he  heard  the  king's  call.  It  is  an  obligation 
that  I  must  meet.  I  must  keep  tryst  or  die." 

Gay  looked  at  her  admiringly.  "  I  knew  you 
were  like  that,"  she  exclaimed.  "  If  there  is  any- 
thing I  envy  it  is  strength  of  character." 


126  LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

The  admiring  glance  and  Gay's  remark  carried 
greater  weight  than  all  the  nurse's  warning.  There 
was  another  reason  now  for  persevering  in  her  de- 
termination. Gay  expected  it  of  her,  and  she  could 
not  fall  below  Gay's  expectation  of  what  a  strong 
character  should  accomplish. 

Gay,  having  finished  a  white  stripe  across  the 
shawl,  opened  the  sweet-grass  Indian  basket  hang- 
ing on  her  chair-post,  and  took  out  several  skeins 
of  zephyr  of  a  delicate  sea-shell  pink. 

"  Let  me  hold  it  while  you  wind,"  begged  Lloyd. 
"  It's  such  an  exquisite  shade,  like  the  heart  of  a 
la  France  rose.  It  makes  me  think  of  the  stories 
mothah  used  to  tell  me.  Everything  in  them  had 
to  be  pink,  from  the  little  girl's  dress  to  the  bow 
on  her  kitten's  neck.  Her  slippahs,  parasol,  flowahs 
in  the  garden,  papah  on  the  wall,  icing  on  the  cake, 
everything  had  to  be  pink." 

"  What  a  funny  little  creature  you  must  have 
been,"  laughed  Gay,  secretly  making  note  of  Lloyd's 
favourite  colour,  and  resolving  to  change  the  names 
on  two  packages  laid  away  in  her  trunk.  The  blue 
sachet-bag  with  the  forget-me-nots  should  go  to 
Betty  instead  of  Lloyd,  as  she  had  originally  in- 
tended. Lloyd  should  have  the  one  with  the  gar- 
lands of  pink  rosebuds. 


CHRISTMAS  CAROLS  H2J 

"  My  room  at  home  is  furnished  in  pink,"  Lloyd 
went  on.  "  Oh,  Gay,  I'm  wild  for  you  to  see  Locust. 
I'm  going  to  have  you  and  the  Walton  girls  and 
Katie  Mallard,  one  of  our  neighbahs,  spend  two 
days  and  nights  with  us.  While  I've  been  cooped 
up  heah  getting  well,  I've  planned  some  of  the  love- 
liest things  to  do  that  you  evah  dreamed  of.  It's 
going  to  be  the  gayest  vacation  that  evah  was." 

When  Miss  Gilmer  returned  at  the  end  of  the 
hour,  Lloyd  looked  so  much  brighter  and  better 
that  she  gave  her  an  unexpected  furlough. 

"  There,  run  along  to  your  room  with  the  other 
girls.  I'll  expect  you  back  at  bedtime,  for  I  want 
to  keep  you  under  my  wing  one  more  night,  but 
you're  at  liberty  till  then  on  one  condition,  —  you're 
not  to  look  into  a  book." 

"  I'll  promise !  Oh,  I'll  promise !  "  cried  Lloyd, 
impetuously  throwing  her  arms  around  the  nurse. 
"  You're  such  a  deah !  Not  that  I'm  anxious  to 
get  away  from  you,"  she  added,  fearing  that  her 
delight  might  be  misunderstood.  "  But  I  just  want 
to  get  out ! " 

True  to  her  promise,  Lloyd  opened  no  books, 
but,  flying  to  her  room,  she  took  out  one  of  the 
uncompleted  Christmas  gifts,  a  pair  of  bedroom 
slippers,  and  worked  with  feverish  haste  until  din- 


128   LITTLE    COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

ner  was  ready.  It  was  good  to  be  at  the  table  again 
with  the  other  girls  after  her  week  of  solitary  meals 
in  the  nursery.  Afterward  it  was  a  temptation  to 
linger  in  the  library  talking  with  them,  but  the 
thought  of  the  many  tasks  undone  sent  her  hurry- 
ing back  to  her  room. 

Betty  followed  presently  with  the  Walton  girls, 
and  they  all  worked  steadily  on  their  various  gifts 
until  the  bell  rang  for  the  evening  study  hour. 
Then  Allison  and  Kitty  reluctantly  departed,  and 
Betty  took  out  her  algebra.  Lloyd  crocheted  in 
silence  for  half  an  hour  longer,  her  fingers  flying 
faster  and  faster  in  her  eagerness  to  complete  the 
task.  Finally  she  laid  it  down  with  a  sigh  of  relief. 

"  There!  "  she  exclaimed  aloud.  "  That's  done. 
They're  all  ready  for  the  bows.  Now,  thank  for- 
tune, I  can  check  them  off  my  list." 

Betty  looked  up  with  an  absent-minded  smile, 
nodded  approvingly  at  the  finished  slippers  stand- 
ing on  the  table,  and  then  went  on  with  her  prob- 
lems. Lloyd  opened  her  bureau-drawer  to  search 
for  the  ribbon  which  she  had  bought  for  the  bows. 
As  she  rummaged  through  it,  her  hand  touched  the 
little  sandalwood  box  that  held  the  unfinished  ro- 
sary. She  glanced  over  her  shoulder.  Betty  was 
deep  in  her  algebra.  So,  taking  out  the  string-  of 


CHRISTMAS  CAROLS  12$ 

beads,  she  passed  it  slowly  through  her  fingers. 
Then  she  held  it  up,  and,  looping  it  around  her 
throat,  looked  in  the  mirror. 

"  I  suppose  it's  mighty  childish  of  me,"  she  said 
to  herself,  "  but  I  can't  enjoy  my  vacation  if  I  go 
home  with  a  single  one  of  this  term's  pearls  miss- 
ing. I've  got  to  make  up  those  lessons,  no  mattah 
what  the  nurse  says.  I  can  rest  aftahward." 

A  few  minutes  later  she  presented  herself  at  Miss 
Gilmer's  door  with  the  announcement  that  she 
would  go  to  bed  an  hour  earlier  than  usual,  in  order 
to  get  a  good  start  for  the  next  day. 

All  that  week  she  worked  with  a  restless  energy 
that  kept  her  keyed  to  the  highest  pitch  of  effort. 
She  scarcely  ate,  and  her  sleep  was  broken,  but 
her  eyes  were  so  bright  and  her  manner  so  ani- 
mated, that  Betty  wrote  home  that  Lloyd's  little 
spell  of  illness  seemed  to  have  done  her  good. 

By  studying  before  breakfast,  and  snatching 
every  minute  she  could  spare  from  other  duties, 
she  managed  to  have  perfect  recitations  in  each 
study,  and  at  the  same  time  to  make  up  the  lessons 
she  had  missed.  Five  o'clock  Saturday  afternoon 
found  her  with  the  last  task  done.  She  slipped 
ten  more  little  Roman  pearls  over  the  silken  cord; 
five  for  the  week's  advance  work,  and  five  for  the 


130   LITTLE   COLONEL 'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

days  she  had  missed.  Then  with  a  sigh  of  re- 
lief she  put  the  sandalwood  box  into  her  trunk, 
already  partly  packed  for  home-going,  and  flung 
herself  wearily  across  the  bed. 

The  mock  Christmas-tree  had  been  lighted  the 
evening  before,  and  the  gifts  distributed.  She  had 
not  enjoyed  it  as  she  had  expected  to,  although 
some  of  the  jokes  were  excruciatingly  funny,  and 
the  girls  had  laughed  until  they  were  limp.  She 
was  too  tired  to  laugh  much.  She  was  glad  that 
Sunday  was  coming  before  the  day  of  leave-taking. 
She  made  up  her  mind  that  she  would  skip  dinner, 
and  ask  Betty  just  to  slip  her  something  from  the 
table. 

Then  she  remembered  that  this  was  the  night  the 
carols  were  to  be  sung  in  the  chapel.  She  could 
not  miss  that.  It  was  the  prettiest  service  of  all 
the  year,  the  old  girls  said.  Some  one  had  told 
her  it  was  a  custom  for  everybody  to  wear  white 
to  the  carol-singing,  but  it  was  hard  to  remember 
things,  maybe  she  had  only  dreamed  it.  She  wished 
that  she. did  not  have  to  remember  things,  but 
could  lie  there  without  moving,  until  morning. 
What  was  it  her  mother  used  to  sing  to  her? 
"  Asleep  in  the  arms  of  the  slow-swinging  seas." 
Oh !  The  white  seal's  lullaby.  That  was  what  she 


CHRISTMAS  CAROLS  l"$l 

wanted.  How  good  it  would  feel  to  be  rocked  by 
the  restful  motion  of  the  waves,  to  be  caught  in  that 
long  sleepy  sweep  of  the  slow-swinging  seas. 

When  she  opened  her  eyes  again  it  was  to  find 
the  room  lighted,  and  Betty  dressing  for  the  carol 
service.  She  had  slept  an  hour. 

"It'll  never  do  to  miss  the  carols,"  Betty  as- 
sured her,  when  she  suggested  skipping  dinner. 
"  Come  on,  I'll  help  you  dress.  Just  tell  me  what 
you  want  to  wear,  and  I'll  lay  out  your  things 
while  you're  shaking  your  wits  together.  You'll 
feel  better  after  you've  had  a  hot  dinner."  So 
struggling  with  the  weariness  which  nearly  over- 
powered her,  Lloyd  forced  herself  to  follow  Betty's 
example,  and  go  down  to  the  dining-room  when 
the  bell  rang.  An  hour  later  she  fell  into  line 
with  the  other  girls,  as,  all  in  white,  they  filed  into 
the  chapel. 

"  How  Christmasey  it  looks  and  smells,"  she 
whispered  to  Allison,  as  the  doors  swung  open  and 
a  breath  from  the  pine  woods  greeted  them.  The 
chancel  was  wreathed  and  festooned  with  masses 
of  evergreen.  To-night  tall  white  candles  furnished 
the  only  light.  Far  down  the  dim  aisles  they  twin- 
kled like  stars  against  the  dark  background  of  cedar 
and  hemlock. 


132    LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

Betty  was  glad  that  they  had  entered  early.  The 
deep  silence  of  those  moments  of  waiting,  the  dim 
light  of  the  Christmas  tapers,  and  the  fragrance  of 
the  pine  seemed  as  much  a  part  of  the  service  as 
anything  which  followed.  In  the  expectant  hush 
that  rilled  the  little  chapel,  she  pictured  the  three 
kings  riding  through  the  night,  until  she  could 
almost  see  the  shadowy  desert  and  hear  the  tread 
of  the  camels  who  bore  the  wise  men  on  their  star- 
lit quest.  She  saw  the  hillside  of  Judea,  where  the 
shepherds  kept  their  night-watch  by  their  flocks, 
and  all  the  mystery  and  wonder  of  the  first  great 
Christmastide  seemed  to  vibrate  through  her  heart, 
as  the  deep  organ  prelude  suddenly  filled  the  air 
with  the  jubilant  chords  of  "  Joy  to  the  world,  the 
Lord  has  come." 

Presently  the  music  changed,  and  the  girls  looked 
around  expectantly.  From  far  down  distant  halls 
and  corridors  came  a  chorus  of  girlish  voices :  "  Oh, 
little  town  of  Bethlehem."  So  sweet  and  far  away 
it  was,  the  audience  in  the  chapel  involuntarily 
leaned  forward  to  listen.  Across  the  campus  it 
sounded,  gradually  drawing  nearer  and  clearer, 
until,  with  a  triumphant  burst  of  melody,  the  doors 
swung  open  and  the  white-robed  choir  swept  in. 

Only  the  best  voices  in  the  school  had  been  chosen 


CHRISTMAS   CAROLS  I $3 

for  this  choir,  and  weeks  of  training  preceded  the 
service.  One  after  another  they  sang  the  sweet 
old  tunes  of  the  Christmas  waits  until  they  reached 
Lloyd's  favourite,  "  Let  nothing  you  dismay."  She 
listened  to  it  with  pleasure  now,  since  her  greatest 
cause  for  dismay  had  been  removed.  She  had  kept 
tryst  with  the  term's  obligations,  as  the  last  pearl 
on  the  rosary  could  testify. 

In  the  hush  that  followed  that  carol,  an  old  man, 
with  silvery  hair  and  benign  face,  rose  under  the 
tall  candles  of  the  chancel. 

"  It's  the  bishop,"  whispered  Gay  to  Lloyd. 
"  Old  Bishop  Chartley.  He  is  Madam's  uncle,  and 
he  always  comes  down  for  this  service." 

Then  even  her  irrepressible  tongue  grew  still,  for, 
in  a  deep  voice  that  filled  the  chapel,  he  began  to 
read  the  story  of  the  three  wise  men  who  followed 
the  star  with  their  gifts  of  gold  and  frankincense 
and  myrrh,  until  it  led  them  to  Bethlehem's  manger. 
An  old,  old  story,  but  it  bloomed  anew  once  more, 
as  it  has  bloomed  every  year  since  first  the  wonder- 
ing wise  men  started  on  their  quest. 

The  bishop  closed  the  Book.  "  How  shall  we 
keep  the  King's  birthday?  "  he  asked.  "  What  gifts 
shall  we  bring?  To-day  in  a  quaint  old  tale,  be- 
loved in  boyhood,  I  found  the  answer.  It  is  the 


134  LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

story  of  a  strange  country  called  Cathay,  and  this 
is  the  way  it  runs : 

1 '  The  ruler  thereof  is  one  Kublan  Khan,  a 
mighty  warrior.  His  government  is  both  wise  and 
just,  and  is  administered  to  rich  and  poor  alike, 
without  fear  or  favour.  On  the  king's  birthday 
the  people  observe  what  is  called  the  White  Feast. 
Then  are  the  king  and  his  court  assembled  in  a 
great  room  of  the  palace,  which  is  alt  white,  the 
floor  of  marble  and  the  walls  hung  with  curtains 
of  white  silk.  All  are  in  white  apparel,  and  they 
offer  unto  the  king  white  gifts,  to  show  that  their 
love  and  loyalty  are  without  a  stain.  The  rich  bring 
to  their  lord  pearls,  carvings  of  ivory,  white  char- 
gers, and  costly  broidered  garments.  The  poor  pre- 
sent white  pigeons  and  handfuls  of  rice.  Nor  doth 
the  great  king  regard  one  gift  above  another,  so 
long  as  all  be  white.  And  so  do  they  keep  the  king's 
birthday.'  "  . .  .  I  : 

Lloyd,  leaning  forward,  listened  with  such  breath- 
less interest  that  it  attracted  Gay's  attention. 
"  That's  just  like  your  pink  story,"  she  whispered. 
Lloyd  gave  her  fingers  a  responsive  squeeze,  but 
never  took  her  eyes  from  the  benign  old  face.  The 
bishop  was  applying  the  story  to  the  audience  be- 
fore him. 


CHRISTMAS  CAROLS  135 

"As  these  pagans  of  Cathay  kept  the  feast  of 
Kublan  Kahn,  so  we  may  make  of  Christmas  a 
White  Feast,  whose  offerings  are  without  stain. 
We  need  make  no  weary  pilgrimages  across  the 
trackless  sands,  as  did  those  Eastern  sages.  '  Inas- 
much as  ye  have  done  it  unto  the  least  of  these  my 
brethren'  (these  are  the  King's  own  words),  'ye  have 
done  it  unto  me/  At  our  very  doors  we  may  give 
to  Him,  through  His  poor  and  needy. 

"  But  there  is  another  way.  You  are  all  familiar 
with  the  motto  of  this  house,  and  the  legend  which 
gave  rise  to  it.  Clad  in  the  white  garments  of 
Righteousness,  we  may  keep  the  tryst  as  Ederyn 
kept  it,  and  bring  to  the  King  the  white  pearls  of 
a  well-spent  life.  Days  unstained  by  selfishness, 
days  filled  up  with  duties  faithfully  performed. 
It  matters  not  how  small  and  commonplace  our 
efforts  seem,  the  rice  and  the  pigeons  of  the  poor 
showed  Kublan  Kahn  his  subjects'  loyalty  as  fully 
as  the  ivory  carvings  and  the  costly  broidered  gar- 
ment. Nor  doth  the  great  King  regard  one  gift 
of  ours  above  another,  so  long  as  all  be  white.  If 
only  on  our  breasts  the  tokens  Duty  gives  us  spell 
out  the  words,  'semper  fidelis/  then  ours  will  be 
the  royal  accolade :  '  Well  done,  thou  good  and 
faithful  servant.  Enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy 


136  LITTLE  COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

Lord.'  To  give  ourselves,  unstained  and  gladly, 
thus  may  we  keep  the  White  Feast  on  the  birthday 
of  the  King." 

Then  the  choir  stood  again,  but  Lloyd  scarcely 
noticed  what  it  sang.  She  was  thinking  of  the 
bishop's  story,  and  her  secret  hidden  away  in  the 
sandalwood  box.  She  was  so  glad  now  that  she 
had  strung  the  pearls.  She  had  begun  it  because 
it  pleased  her  fancy  to  act  out  the  story  of  Ederyn, 
but  now  the  sacred  meaning  the  old  bishop  gave 
the  story  thrilled  her  through  and  through.  The 
King's  call  suddenly  seemed  very  sweet  and  per- 
sonal. Henceforth  she  would  string  the  pearls  in 
answer  to  that  call. 

When  they  all  knelt  in  the  closing  prayer,  she 
fervently  echoed  the  bishop's  petition :  "  Grant 
that  we  make  of  this  Christmastide  a  White  Feast, 
and  that  all  our  days  may  be  worthy  of  thy  ac- 
ceptance, unstained  by  selfishness  and  full  of  deeds 
to  show  our  love  and  loyalty." 

The  white-robed  choir  filed  slowly  out,  their 
music  sounding  fainter  and  fainter  until  it  died 
away  across  the  campus,  and  the  white-robed  audi- 
ence was  left  kneeling  in  silence.  There  were  tears 
in  Gay's  eyes  when  she  arose.  Such  music  always 
stirred  her  to  the  depths.  Kitty  went  back  to  her 


CHRISTMAS  CAROLS  137 

room  humming  one  of  the  carols,  and  Betty  stole 
away  to  write  the  bishop's  sermon  in  her  little  white 
record,  while  the  memory  of  it  was  still  warm  in 
her  heart. 

At  Miss  Gilmer's  request,  Lloyd  waited  a  moment 
in  the  vestibule.  At  first  she  wished  that  Miss 
Gilmer  had  not  detained  her.  She  wanted  to  go 
on  with  Allison,  who  had  her  by  the  arm.  After- 
ward, however,  she  was  glad  of  the  waiting.  It 
gave  her  an  opportunity  to  meet  the  venerable 
bishop. 

"  So  you  are  going  home  to-morrow  for  the  holi- 
days," he  said,  genially,  as  he  held  out  his  hand. 
"  Godspeed,  daughter.  May  you  keep  the  White 
Feast  with  joy." 

It  seemed  to  Lloyd  that  that  "Godspeed"  fol- 
lowed her  like  a  benediction. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

HOMEWARD   BOUND 

•  O  Warwick  Hall,  dear  Warwick  Hall, 
Thy  happy  hours  we'll  oft  recall  I 
No  time  or  change  can  break  thy  tie, 
Though  for  awhile  we  say  good-bye  — 
Good-bye!  Good-bye!" 

AMID  a  flutter  of  handkerchiefs  and  a  babel  of 
parting  cries,  each  'bus-load  of  girls  departed  from 
the  Hall  to  the  station  singing  the  farewell  song 
of  the  school. 

A  dozen  times  on  the  way  home  Allison,  hum- 
ming it  unconsciously,  found  the  rest  of  the  party 
joining  in.  It  was  an  uneventful  journey,  but  a 
merry  one  to  the  five  girls,  travelling  for  the  first 
time  without  a  chaperon.  For  the  first  few  hours 
they  had  the  observation  car  to  themselves.  Even 
the  porter  mysteriously  disappeared. 

"  He's  curled  up  asleep  somewhere,  rest  his  soul," 
said  Gay,  when  she  had  rung  for  him  several  times. 

"All  the  better,"  answered  Kitty.  "We  don't 
really  need  the  table,  and  it's  nice  to  have  him  out 
138 


HOMEWARD  BOUND  139 

of  the  way.  This  is  as  good  as  travelling  in  a  pri- 
vate car.  We  can  '  stand  on  our  head  in  our  little 
trundle-bed,  and  nobody  nigh  to  hinder.'  Oh,  girls, 
I'm  so  crazy  glad  that  we're  on  our  way  home  that 
I'm  positively  obliged  to  do  something  to  let  off 
steam.  I've  exhausted  my  vocabulary  trying  to  ex- 
press my  delight,  so  there's  nothing  left  but  to 
howl." 

"  Or  to  wriggle,"  suggested  Gay.  "  Why  not 
try  facial  expression  ?  How  is  this  for  transcendent 
joy?" 

The  grotesque  smile  which  she  turned  upon  them 
was  so  ridiculous  that  they  screamed  with  laughter. 

"  Oh,  Gay,  do  stop !  "  begged  Betty.  "  You're 
as  bad  as  a  comic  valentine." 

"  I'd  like  to  see  you  do  any  better,"  retorted  Gay. 

"  Let's  all  try,"  suggested  Kitty.  "  Line  up  in 
front  of  this  mirror,  girls.  Now  all  look  pleasant, 
please.  Now  let  your  smiles  express  rapture.  Now, 
frenzied  delight ! " 

Fascinated  by  their  own  ugliness,  the  five  girls 
stood  in  a  row  distorting  their  pretty  faces  with 
hideous  grins  and  grimaces  until  they  were  weak 
from  laughing.  The  banging  of  the  car  door  sent 
them  scuttling  into  their  seats.  A  portly  old  gen- 
tleman passed  through  the  car  to  the  rear  platform, 


I4O   LITTLE^  COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

and,  slamming  the  door  behind  him,  stood  looking 
down  the  rapidly  vanishing  track.  Evidently  it 
was  too  breezy  a  view-point  for  the  old  gentleman, 
even  with  his  coat-collar  turned  up  and  hat  pulled 
down  to  meet  his  ears,  for  in  a  moment  he  came  in 
and  passed  back  to  his  seat  in  a  forward  car.  The 
girls  sat  demurely  looking  out  of  the  windows  until 
he  was  gone,  then  they  faced  each  other,  giggling. 

"  Suppose  he  had  caught  us  making  those  idiotic 
faces,"  exclaimed  Allison.  "  He  would  have  taken 
us  for  a  lot  of  escaped  lunatics." 

"  No,  he  wouldn't,"  insisted  Gay.  "  He  was  a 
real  benevolent-looking  old  fellow,  the  kind  that 
understands  young  people,  and  he'd  know  that  it 
was  just  that  Christmas  has  gone  to  our  heads,  and 
made  us  a  little  flighty.  I'm  sure  that  his  name 
is  James,  and  that  he  has  six  old  maid  daughters. 
He  lives  out  West,  and  he's  taking  home  a  trunk 
full  of  presents  for  them." 

"  Let's  guess  what  he  has  for  them,"  said  Kitty. 
"  I'll  say  that  the  oldest  one  is  named  Emmaline, 
and  he  is  taking  her  a  squirrel  fur  muff." 

"  Arid  the  next  one  is  Agnes  Dorothea,"  said 
Betty,  taking  her  turn,  as  if  it  were  a  game.  "  She's 
the  delicate  one  of  the  family,  and  a  sort  of  invalid. 
So  he  bought  her  a  lavender  shoulder  shawl  that 


HOMEWARD  BOUND  14! 

caught  his  fatherly  eye  in  a  show  window,  because 
it  was  so  soft  and  fluffy.  But  it  will  shrink  and 
fade  the  first  time  it  is  washed  till  Agnes  Dorothea 
will  look  like  a  homeless  cat  if  she  wears  it.  Still 
she  will  persist  in  putting  it  on  because  dear  father 
brought  it  to  her  from  Washington." 

"  He'd  certainly  think  you  all  were  crazy  if  he 
could  heah  yoah  remah'ks,"  laughed  Lloyd. 

"  Speaking  of  shawls,"  cried  Gay,  "  that  reminds 
me  of  that  rainbow  shawl  in  my  bag.  I  haven't 
taken  a  stitch  in  it  since  we  started,  and  I  intended 
to  knit  all  the  way  home.  I  simply  have  to,  if  I'm 
to  get  it  done  in  time." 

Taking  out  the  square  of  linen  in  which  the 
fleecy  zephyr  was  wrapped,  she  settled  herself  by 
the  rear  window  in  a  big  arm-chair,  with  her  feet 
drawn  up  under  her,  and  fell  to  work  with  all  her 
might. 

"  It's  so  nice  and  cosy  to  have  the  car  all  to  our- 
selves," sighed  Allison,  stretching  out  luxuriously 
on  the  sofa.  Betty,  bending  over  her  embroidery, 
smiled  tenderly  at  a  picture  that  her  memory  showed 
her  just  then.  She  was  comparing  this  journey 
with  the  first  one  she  had  ever  taken.  And  she 
saw  in  her  thoughts  a  little  brown-eyed  girl  of 
eleven,  setting  forth  on  her  first  venture  into  the 


142   LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

wide  world,  with  a  sunbonnet  tied  over  her  curls, 
and  an  old-fashioned  covered  basket  on  her  arm. 
What  a  dread  undertaking  that  journey  had  been 
from  the  Cuckoo's  Nest  to  the  House  Beautiful. 
She  remembered  how  frightened  she  was,  and  how 
she  had  studied  the  picture  of  Red  Ridinghood, 
printed  in  colours  on  the  border  of  her  handker- 
chief, until  she  was  afraid  to  speak  even  to  the 
conductor.  She  saw  a  possible  wolf  in  every 
stranger. 

Somehow  her  thoughts  kept  going  back  to  that 
time,  even  in  the  midst  of  Gay's  most  amusing  non- 
sense, and  Kitty's  brightest  repartee.  Even  when 
Allison  began  to  sing  "  O  Warwick  Hall,"  and 
she  chimed  in  with  the  others,  "  Dear  Warwick 
Hall,"  she  was  not  thinking  of  school,  but  of  the 
Cuckoo's  Nest,  and  Davy,  and  the  old  weather- 
beaten  meeting-house,  in  whose  window  she  had 
passed  so  many  summer  afternoons,  reading  the 
musty  dog-eared  books  she  found  in  the  little  red 
bookcase. 

"  What  are  you  smiling  about,  Betty,  all  to  yoah- 
self  ?  "  asked  Lloyd.  "  You  look  as  if  you  are  a 
thousand  miles  away." 

Betty  glanced  up  with  a  little  start.  "  Oh,  I  was 
just  thinking  about  the  Cuckoo's  Nest,  and  wishing 


HOMEWARD  BOUND  143 

that  I  could  see  Davy's  face  when  they  open  the 
Christmas  box  I  sent.  There  are  only  trifles  in  it, 
but  the  box  will  mean  a  lot  to  them,  for  Cousin 
Hetty  never  has  time  to  make  anything  of  Christ- 
mas." 

Lloyd  sat  up  with  a  sudden  exclamation.  "  Oh, 
Betty,  I  beg  yoah  pah'don.  There's  a  lettah  for 
you  in  my  bag  from  some  of  them  that  I  forgot  to 
give  you.  Hawkins  came  up  with  it  just  as  we 
drove  off,  and  there  was  so  much  excitement  and 
confusion  I  nevah  thought  of  it  again  till  this  min- 
ute. I'm  mighty  sorry  I  forgot." 

"  It  doesn't  make  any  difference,"  Betty  assured 
her.  "  Good  news  can  afford  to  wait,  and,  if  it's 
bad  news,  it  would  have  spoiled  all  the  first  part 
of  this  trip." 

She  tore  open  the  envelope  arid  glanced  down 
the  page.  Lloyd,  looking  up,  saw  a  distressed  ex- 
pression cross  her  face  and  the  brown  eyes  fill  with 
tears. 

"  Oh,  it's  poor  little  Davy  that's  in  trouble,"  said 
Betty,  answering  Lloyd's  anxious  question.  "  He 
had  his  leg  badly  hurt  last  week,  broken  in  two 
places.  He  was  riding  one  of  those  heavy  old  farm 
horses,  hurrying  home  to  get  out  of  a  storm.  Go- 
ing down  a  steep,  slippery  hill,  it  stumbled  and  fell 


144  LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

on  him.  He'll  have  to  lie  in  bed  for  weeks,  with 
his  knee  in  plaster,  and  he's  so  tired  of  it  already, 
and  so  lonesome.  Nobody  has  any  time  to  sit  with 
him.  I  know  how  it  is.  I  was  sick  myself  once 
at  the  Cuckoo's  Nest.  Oh,  I'd  give  anything  if  I 
could  spend  my  vacation  there  with  him." 

"And  give  up  all  your  good  times  at  home?" 
cried  Kitty.  "  He  surely  couldn't  expect  such  a 
sacrifice  as  that." 

"  But  it  wouldn't  be  any  sacrifice.  Not  a  mite ! 
I  haven't  seen  him  for  such  a  long  time,  and  I'd 
love  to  go.  He  used  to  be  the  dearest  little  fellow, 
never  out  of  my  sight  a  moment  during  the  day. 
They  used  to  call  him  '  Betty's  shadow.'  " 

"  Why  don't  you  go  if  you  wish  it  so  much  ?  " 
was  on  the  tip  of  Gay's  tongue,  but  she  stopped 
the  question  just  before  it  slipped  off,  remembering 
Betty's  dependence  on  her  godmother.  Kitty  had 
told  her  all  about  it  one  time.  Naturally  she 
wouldn't  want  to  ask  for  the  money,  even  for  such 
a  short  journey,  when  so  much  was  being  spent  to 
keep  her  at  school  with  Lloyd;  and  naturally  she 
would  not  want  to  ask  to  leave  Locust  at*  Christmas, 
when  that  was  the  time  of  all  the  year  when  she 
could  be  of  service,  and  in  many  ways  add  greatly 
to  the  pleasure  of  the  entire  household. 


HOMEWARD  BOUND  145 

The  nonsense  stopped  for  a  few  minutes.  No  one 
knew  what  to  say  to  comfort  Betty,  although  they 
were  genuinely  sorry,  and  glanced  from  time  to 
time  at  the  brown  head  turned  away  from  them 
toward  the  window.  She  was  looking  at  the  flying 
landscape  through  a  blur  of  tears,  recalling  the 
way  little  Davy's  dimpled  fingers  had  clung  to  hers, 
his  chubby  feet  followed  her.  Of  course  he  was 
much  larger  and  older,  she  told  herself,  not  at  all 
like  the  little  fellow  she  had  left  so  long  ago.  He 
was  big  enough  to  stand  pain  now,  and  probably 
the  worst  of  his  suffering  was  over.  Still,  she  saw 
only  a  solemn  baby  face  when  she  pictured  him, 
and  heard  only  the  lisping  voice,  saying  as  he  used 
to  say  when  stumped  toe  or  bruised  finger  brought 
the  tears :  "  It  hurth  your  Davy  boy.  Tie  a  wag 
on  it,  Betty."  How  he  had  loved  her  stories! 
What  a  pleasure  they  would  be  to  him  now  in  the 
long  days  he  would  be  forced  to  spend  in  bed. 

Suddenly  conscious  of  the  silence  around  her, 
Betty  turned,  realizing  that  her  depression  had  cast 
a  shadow  on  the  spirits  of  all  the  rest. 

"  Don't  think  about  my  bad  news  any  more," 
she  said,  brightly.  "  It  probably  isn't  half  as  bad 
as  I  have  been  picturing  it.  My  imagination  always 
runs  away  with  me.  It  isn't  Davy  the  baby  that's 


146  LITTLE  COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

had  such  an  awful  accident.  It  was  that  thought 
that  hurt  me  so  at  first.  I  keep  forgetting  that 
it's  five  years  since  I  left  there.  I'm  going  to  drop 
him  a  postal  card  at  the  next  station.  I  can  write 
to  him  every  day,  and  make  a  sort  of  game  of  the 
letters  with  riddles  and  suggestions  of  things  for 
him  to  do,  and  that  will  help  the  time  pass." 

"  First  call  to  dinnah  in  the  dinah,"  called  a 
coloured  waiter,  passing  through  the  car  in  white 
jacket  and  apron. 

"  Now  we'll  have  to  stop  all  our  foolishness," 
said  Allison,  sedately,  as  she  rose  to  lead  the  way 
to  the  dining-car.  They  followed  as  decorously  as 
grandmothers,  each  realizing  the  responsibility  that 
devolved  on  her,  since  they  were  travelling  without 
a  chaperon. 

To  be  sure,  Gay  choked  on  an  olive  when  Kitty 
made  some  wicked  remark  about  the  fussy  old 
woman  across  the  aisle,  who  wouldn't  be  pleased 
with  anything  the  waiter  brought  her;  and  it  was 
too  much  for  their  gravity  when  an  excessively 
dignified  man  at  the  next  table,  who  had  been  star- 
ing at  the  wall  like  a  wooden  Indian,  suddenly 
sneezed  so  violently  that  his  eye-glasses  dropped 
into  his  soup  with  a  splash. 

Otherwise  they  were  models  of  propriety,  and 


HOMEWARD  BOUND  \tf 

more  than  one  head  turned  to  look  at  the  bright 
girlish  faces,  and  smile  at  the  keen,  unspoiled  en- 
joyment which  they  evidently  found  in  life  and  in 
each  other. 

They  did  not  stay  long  in  the  observation-car 
when  they  went  back  to  it  after  dinner.  Other 
people  had  come  in,  and  it  was  not  so  attractive 
as  when  they  occupied  it  alone.  The  lamps  had 
been  lighted  so  early  that  short  December  day  that 
it  seemed  much  later  than  it  really  was,  and  they 
were  all  tired.  At  nine  o'clock,  when  they  went  to 
their  berths  in  the  forward  end  of  the  car,  they 
found  several  sections  already  made  up  for  the 
night,  and  the  porter  was  moving  on  down  toward 
theirs. 

The  fussy  old  woman,  who  had  been  so  hard  to 
please  at  the  table,  came  squeezing  her  way  through 
the  valises  that  blocked  the  aisle,  and  took  posses- 
sion of  the  section  opposite  Betty  and  Lloyd. 

"  Oh,  my  country !  "  whispered  Lloyd.  "  I  won- 
dah  if  she's  going  to  keep  up  that  grumbling  and 
scolding  all  night.  I'm  glad  that  I  am  not  that 
poah  henpecked  maid  of  hers.  She  certainly  makes 
life  misahable  for  her." 

It  was  nearly  two  hours  before  Jenkins,  the  long- 
suffering  maid,  succeeded  in  settling  her  mistress 


148   LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

to  her  satisfaction  behind  the  curtains  of  her  berth. 
The  girls  made  no  attempt  to  get  into  the  dressing- 
room  until  the  little  comedy  was  over.  They 
laughed  until  they  were  hysterical  over  each  scene 
as  it  occurred.  A  comedy  in  three  acts,  Betty  called 
it  —  the  losing  of  the  cold-cream  bottle  and  the 
finding  of  same  in  madam's  overshoe.  The  unavail- 
ing search  for  a  certain  black  silk  handkerchief  in 
which  madam  was  wont  to  tie  her  head  up  in  of 
nights,  and  the  substitution  of  a  towel  instead,  which 
the  porter  obligingly  brought. 

Next  there  was  a  supposed  case  of  poisoning, 
Jenkins  in  her  trepidation  having  administered  three 
pink  pellets  from  a  bottle  instead  of  two  white  ones 
from  a  box.  Five  minutes'  reign  of  terror  after 
that  mistake  brought  the  poor  maid  to  a  witless 
state  that  left  her  almost  helpless.  Various  trips 
were  made  to  the  dressing-room,  at  which  times 
the  old  lady's  face  was  massaged,  her  grizzly  hair 
rolled  on  crimping-pins,  and  her  shoulders  rubbed 
with  an  evil-smelling  liniment  which  permeated  the 
whole  car.  She  seemed  as  oblivious  to  the  presence 
of  the  other  passengers  as  if  she  were  on  a  desert 
island,  and,  being  somewhat  deaf,  made  Jenkins 
repeat  her  timid  replies  louder  and  louder  until  they 
were  almost  screaming  at  each  other. 


HOMEWARD  BOUND  149 

Every  one  on  the  car  was  smiling1  broa'dly  when 
at  last  she  subsided  behind  the  curtains.  The  smiles 
grew  to  audible  mirth  when  she  confided  in  a  loud 
voice  to  Jenkins,  stowed  away  in  the  berth  above 
her,  that  she  hoped  to  goodness  nobody  on  board 
would  snore  and  keep  her  awake. 

Jenkins's  answer,  floating  tremulously  down, 
convulsed  the  sleepy  girls :  "  Hi  'ope  not,  ma'am. 
Hit's  a  bad  'abit,  ma'am,  halmost,  you  might  say, 
han  haffliction." 

"What?"  came  in  a  thunderous  voice  from  the 
lower  berth,  and  Jenkins,  craning  her  head  turtle- 
wise  over  the  edge  of  her  bed,  called  back  in  a 
tremulous  squeak :  "  Hi  honly  said  as  'ow  hit  were 
a  bad  'abit,  ma'am !  " 

"  Hump!  "  was  the  answer.  "  See  that  you  don't 
do  it  yourself.  I've  got  my  umbrella  here  ready  to 
punch  you  if  you  do." 

A  titter  ran  from  seat  to  seat.  The  girls,  unable 
to  stifle  their  amusement  any  longer,  seized  their 
bags  and  hurried  down  the  aisle  to  the  dressing- 
room,  where,  under  cover  of  the  rattle  of  the  train, 
they  could  laugh  as  freely  as  they  pleased. 

When  Lloyd  and  Betty  stole  back  to  their  berths 
a  few  minutes  later,  they  looked  at  each  other  with 
an  amused  smile.  From  the  opposite  section  came 


I5O   LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

an  unmistakable  sound,  long-drawn  and  penetrating 
as  a  cross-cut  saw.  Madam  was  evidently  asleep. 
Betty  giggled,  as  from  Jenkins's  perch  came  a  gentle 
echo. 

"  *  Hi  homy  said  as  'ow  hit  were  a  bad  'abit, 
ma'am/  "  whispered  Lloyd.  "  Wouldn't  you  love 
to  jab  the  old  lady  herself  with  an  umbrella  ?  " 

Gay,  in  the  dressing-room,  was  carefully  count- 
ing over  her  toilet  articles,  as  she  put  them  back 
into  her  bag.  "  Soap-box,  comb,  nail-file,  tooth- 
powder —  I  haven't  lost  a  thing  this  trip,  Allison. 
I'm  beginning  to  feel  proud  of  myself.  Here's  my 
watch  and  here's  my  tickets,  buttoned  up  in  this 
pocket.  Mamma  had  it  made  on  purpose,  so  in 
case  of  a  wreck  at  night  I'd  have  them  on  me.  She 
patted  the  pocket  sewed  securely  in  the  dark  blue 
silk  robe  she  wore,  made  in  loose  kimono  fash- 
ion. 

"  Now  I'm  all  ready,"  she  added,  dropping  her 
shoes  into  her  bag  and  closing  it.  In  her  soft  Indian 
moccasins,  beaded  like  a  squaw's,  she  executed  a 
little  heel  and  toe  dance  in  the  narrow  passage  out- 
side, while  she  waited  for  Allison  to  gather  up  her 
clothes  and  follow.  She  thought  every  one  else 
was  in  bed,  and  when  suddenly  the  outside  door 
opened  and  she  heard  some  one  coming  in  from  the 


HOMEWARD  BOUND  !$! 

next  car,  she  flew  down  the  aisle  like  a  frightened 
rabbit. 

It  was  only  a  brakeman  who  stood  just  inside 
the  door  a  moment  with  his  lantern,  and  then  went 
out  again.  All  the  lights  had  been  turned  down  in 
the  car,  and  Gay  stumbled  several  times  over  shoes 
and  valises  protruding  in  the  aisle.  But  finally, 
with  a  bound,  she  made  her  escape,  as  she  supposed, 
from  whoever  it  was  that  had  caught  her  dancing 
in  her  moccasins  in  the  passage. 

She  gave  a  headlong  dive  into  her  berth.  Just 
then  the  car  lurched  forward,  sending  her  bag  bang- 
ing against  the  window,  but  she  did  not  loosen  her 
hold  of  it,  and  she  was  still  clinging  to  it  five  min- 
utes later. 

For,  with  a  scream  of  terror,  she  rolled  out  of 
the  berth  far  faster  than  she  had  rolled  in.  It  was 
madam's  fat  body  that  writhed  under  her,  and  her 
stern  voice  that  yelled  "Murder!  murder!"  in  a 
voice  calculated  to  wake  the  dead. 

"'Elp!  'elp!"  screamed  Jenkins  from  the  upper 
berth,  afraid  to  look  out  between  the  curtains,  but 
bravely  pushing  the  button  of  the  porter's  bell  till 
some  one,  wakened  by  the  cries  and  persistent  ring- 
ing, wildly  called  "  Fire!  " 

"  It's  train  robbahs !  "  gasped  Lloyd,  sitting  up. 


I$2  LITTLE   COLONEDS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

Little  cold  shivers  ran  up  and  down  her  back,  but 
she  was  conscious  of  a  pleasant  thrill  of  excitement. 
Heads  were  thrust  out  all  up  and  down  the  aisle. 
The  bell  and  the  cries  of  murder  and  'elp  never 
stopped  until  the  porter  and  Pullman  conductor 
came  running  to  the  rescue. 

But  there  was  nothing  for  them  to  see.  At  the 
first  yell,  Gay  had  tumbled  hastily  out,  still  clinging 
to  her  bag.  Before  the  old  lady  had  sufficiently 
recovered  from  her  surprise  enough  to  wonder  what 
sort  of  a  wild  beast  had  pounced  in  upon  her,  Gay 
was  safe  in  her  own  berth,  drawn  up  in  a  knot,  and 
trembling  behind  her  closely  buttoned  curtains. 
Her  heart  beat  so  loud  that  she  thought  it  would 
certainly  betray  her. 

"  You  must  have  had  the  nightmare,"  said  the 
conductor,  politely,  trying  not  to  smile  as  the  angry 
face,  under  its  towel  turban,  glared  out  at  him. 

"  Nightmare!  "  blazed  the  irate  old  lady.  "  I'm 
no  fool.  Don't  you  suppose  that  I  know  when  I'm 
hit?  I  tell  you  somebody  was  trying  to  sandbag 
me.  I  thought  a  Saratoga  trunk  had  fallen  in  on 
me.  It's  your  business  to  take  care  of  passengers 
on  this  train,  arid  I  intend  to  hold  the  company 
responsible.  I  shall  certainly  sue  the  railroad  for 
this  shock  to  my  nervous  system  as  soon  as  I  get 


"'I    TELL    YOU    SOMEBODY    WAS    TRYING    TO    SANDBAG    ME 


HOMEWARD  BOUND  1 53 

home.  I  have  a  weak  heart  and  I  can't  stand  such 
performances  as  this." 

It  took  a  long  time  to  pacify  her.  Gay  lay  in  her 
berth,  shaking  first  with  fright  and  then  with  laugh- 
ter. She  could  not  go  to  sleep  without  sharing  her 
secret  with  the  other  girls,  but  she  was  afraid  to 
trust  herself  to  speak.  She  had  grown  almost  hys- 
terical over  the  affair.  Finally  she  crept  in  beside 
Lloyd  to  whisper,  brokenly :  "  /  am  the  nightmare 
that  sandbagged  the  old  lady.  /  am  the  Saratoga 
trunk  that  fell  on  her.  Oh,  Lloyd,  I'll  never  brag 
again.  I  had  just  told  Allison  I  hadn't  lost  a  single 
thing  this  trip,  and  then  I  turned  around  and  lost 
myself.  I  got  into  the  wrong  berth.  Oh !  oh !  It 
was  so  funny  to  see  her,  all  done  up  in  that  towel. 
It'll  kill  me  if  I  can't  stop  laughing." 

She  crept  back  to  her  own  side  of  the  aisle  again, 
and  Lloyd  got  up  to  repeat  it  to  Betty  and  Allison, 
who  passed  it  on  to  Kitty.  It  was  nearly  half  an 
hour  before  they  stopped  giggling  over  it,  and  then 
Kitty  started  them  all  afresh  by  leaning  out  to  say, 
in  a  stage  whisper,  as  a  certain  duet  was  renewed 
by  Jenkins  and  her  mistress,  "  *  Hi  honly  said  as 
'ow  hit  were  a  bad  'abit.'  " 

It  was  snowing  next  morning,  just  a  few  flakes 
against  the  window-pane,  as  they  sat  in  the  dining- 


154  LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

car  at  breakfast,  but  the  landscape  grew  whiter  as 
they  whirled  on  toward  home. 

"  Just  as  it  ought  to  be  for  Christmas,"  declared 
Allison.  "  Oh,  The  Beeches  will  look  so  lovely  in 
the  snow,  and  the  big  log  fire  will  seem  so  good, 
I  can  hardly  wait  to  get  there !  " 

"  I  know  just  how  it's  all  going  to  be,"  ex- 
claimed Kitty,  wriggling  impatiently  in  her  seat. 
"  It  will  be  this  way,  Gay.  They'll  all  be  down 
at  the  station  to  meet  us,  mother  and  little  Elise 
and  Uncle  Harry  and  his  dog.  Aunt  Allison  will 
probably  be  there,  too,  and  grandmother,  if  she 
feels  well  enough.  And  old  black  fat  Butler  will 
be  standing  by  the  baggage-room  door  with  his 
wheelbarrow,  waiting  to  take  our  trunks.  And 
we'll  all  talk  at  once.  Everybody  along  the  road 
will  be  calling  '  Howdy ! '  to  us,  and  at  the  post- 
office  Miss  Mattie  will  come  out  to  shake  hands  with 
us,  and  tell  us  how  glad  she  is  to  see  us  back.  Then 
it'll  be  just  a  step,  past  the  church  and  the  manse 
and  the  Bakewell  cottage,  and  we'll  turn  in  at  The 
Beeches,  and  the  fun  will  begin." 

Betty  turned  to  Gay.  "  That  doesn't  sound  very 
exciting  or  especially  interesting  to  a  stranger,  but, 
oh,  Gay,  the  Valley  is  so  dear  when  you  once  get 
to  know  it.  And  when  you  go  back,  you  feel  almost 


HOMEWARD  BOUND  1 55 

as  if  everybody  were  related  to  you,  they're  all 
so  friendly  and  cordial  and  glad  to  welcome  you 
home." 

Even  to  impatient  schoolgirls  homeward  bound, 
the  journey's  end  comes  at  last,  so  by  nightfall  it 
all  happened  just  as  Kitty  had  predicted.  Such 
a  royal  welcome  awaited  Gay  that  she  felt  drawn 
into  the  midst  of  things  from  the  moment  she 
stepped  from  the  car. 

"  You're  right,  Betty,"  she  whispered  as  she  left 
her.  "  It  is  a  dear  Valley,  and  I  feel  already  as  if 
I  belong  here." 

The  two  groups  separated  when  the  checks  had 
been  sorted  out  and  the  baggage  disposed  of.  Then, 
still  laughing  and  talking,  Kitty  led  one  on  its  merry 
way  toward  The  Beeches,  and  the  other  whirled 
rapidly  away  in  the  carriage  toward  the  lights  of 
Locust. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

A   PICNIC   IN   THE   SNOW 

"WHAT  a  good  gray  day  this  is!"  exclaimed 
Betty  next  morning,  turning  from  the  window  to 
look  around  the  cheerful  breakfast-room,  all  aglow 
with  an  open  wood-fire.  "  It's  so  bleak  outside  that 
there  is  no  temptation  to  go  gadding,  and  so  cosy 
indoors  that  we'll  be  glad  of  the  chance  to  stay  at 
home  and  finish  tying  up  our  Christmas  pack- 
ages." 

"  Yes,"  assented  Lloyd,  who,  having  finished  her 
breakfast,  was  standing  on  the  hearth-rug,  her  back 
to  the  fire  and  her  hands  clasped  behind  her. 
"  And  for  once  I  intend  to  have  mine  all  ready 
the  day  befoah,  so  I  need  not  be  rushed  up  to  the 
last  minute.  For  that  reason  I  am  glad  that  mothah 
had  to  take  the  early  train  to  town  this  mawning, 
to  finish  her  shopping.  If  she'd  been  at  home,  I 
should  have  talked  all  the  time,  without  accomplish- 
ing a  thing." 

til 


A   PICNIC  IN  THE  SNOW  \tf 

"  I  think  your  tissue-paper  and  ribbon  was  put 
into  my  trunk,"  said  Betty,  drumming  idly  on  the 
window-pane.  "  I'll  go  and  unpack  it  in  a  minute, 
and  have  it  off  my  mind,  as  soon  as  I  see  who  this 
is  coming  up  the  avenue." 

A  tall  young  fellow  had  turned  in  at  the  gate, 
and  was  striding  along  toward  the  house  as  if  in 
a  great  hurry. 

"  It's  Rob  Moore !  "  she  exclaimed,  in  surprise. 
"  I  thought  he  wasn't  coming  home  until  Christmas 
eve." 

"  So  did  I,"  answered  Lloyd,  crossing  the  room 
to  look  over  Betty's  shoulder.  "  I'll  beat  you  to 
the  front  doah,  Betty." 

There  was  a  wild  dash  through  the  hall.  Both 
slim  figures  bounced  against  the  door  at  the  same 
instant.  There  was  a  laughing  scuffle  over  the  latch, 
and  then  the  two  girls  stood  arm  in  arm  between 
the  white  pillars  of  the  porch,  gaily  calling  a  greet- 
ing. 

Rob  waved  a  pair  of  skates  in  reply,  and  quick- 
ened his  stride  until  he  came  within  speaking  dis- 
tance. One  would  have  thought  from  his  greeting 
that  they  had  seen  each  other  only  the  day  before. 
Rob  never  wasted  time  on  formalities. 

"  Hurry  up,  girls !     Get  your  skates.     The  ice 


1 58   LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

is  fine  on  the  creek,  and  there's  a  crowd  waiting 
for  us  down  at  the  depot." 

"Who?"  demanded  Lloyd. 

"  Oh,  the  Maclntyre  boys  and  the  Walton  girls 
and  that  little  red-headed  thing  that  they  brought 
home  from  school  with  them.  Kitty's  going  to 
have  a  picnic  on  the  creek  bank  for  her." 

"  A  picnic  in  Decembah !  "  ejaculated  Lloyd. 

"  That's  what  she  said,"  Rob  answered,  clicking 
his  skates  together  as  he  followed  the  girls  into  the 
house.  "  They  telephoned  over  to  me  to  hustle  up 
here  and  get  you  girls.  They're  on  their  way  to 
the  station  now.  We're  to  meet  them  in  the  wait- 
ing-room." 

"  They  should  have  let  us  know  soonah,"  began 
Lloyd,  "  so  that  we  could  have  had  a  lunch  ready. 
There'll  be  nothing  cooked  to  take  this  time  of  day." 

"  They  didn't  know  it  themselves,"  he  inter- 
rupted. "  Kitty  proposed  it  at  the  breakfast-table, 
and  they  just  grabbed  up  whatever  they  could  get 
their  hands  on  and  started  off." 

"  We  have  so  much  to  do  to-day,"  said  Betty. 
"  I  don't  see  how  we  can  ever  get  through  if  we  stop 
for  this." 

"  Let  everything  slide !  "  begged  Rob.  "  Do  your 
work  to-morrow.  This  will  be  lots  of  fun.  The 


A   PICNIC  IN  THE  SNOW  159 

ice  may  not  last  more  than  a  day  or  so,  and  the 
Maclntyre  boys  are  not  going  to  be  out  here  all 
vacation." 

"  I  suppose  we  could  tie  up  those  packages  to- 
night," said  Lloyd,  with  an  inquiring  look  at  Betty. 

"  Of  course,"  Rob  answered  for  her.  "  And  I'll 
help  you  with  anything  you  have  to  do.  Come  on." 

"  Well,  then,  you  run  out  to  the  kitchen  and  ask 
Aunt  Cindy  to  give  you  something  for  a  lunch,  — 
anything  in  sight,  and  we'll  get  ready  while  Mom 
Beck  finds  our  skates." 

Rob  rubbed  his  ears  apprehensively.  "  I'd  as 
soon  beard  the  lion  in  his  den  as  Aunt  Cindy  in  her 
kitchen.  She's  never  forgiven  my  early  thefts." 

"  Go  on,  goosey,"  laughed  Lloyd.  "  Don't  you 
know  that  since  you're  *  growed  up,'  as  Aunt  Cindy 
says,  she  swears  by  you?  I  heard  her  tell  Mom 
Beck  last  night  she  reckoned  she'd  have  to  make 
a  batch  of  little  sugah  hah't  cakes  right  away,  for 
Mistah  Rob  would  be  coming  prowling  round  her 
cooky  jah," 

"  Am  I  growed  up?  "  asked  Rob  gravely,  throw- 
ing back  his  shoulders  and  looking  into  the  mirror 
at  the  tall  reflection  it  showed  him. 

"You  are  in  inches  and  ells,"  laughed  Lloyd, 
"  but  you're  not  always  six  feet  tall  in  yoah  actions." 


160   LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

"  It's  only  when  I  am  in  your  society  that  I  ap- 
pear so  juvenile,"  retorted  Rob.  "  When  I'm  away 
at  school  with  the  other  fellows,  I  feel  and  act  as 
old  as  Daddy,  but  when  I'm  back  home,  where  you 
all  seem  to  expect  me  to  be  a  kid,  I  naturally  adjust 
myself  to  that  role  just  to  be  companionable  and 
obliging.  You  would  be  afraid  of  me  if  I  were 
to  turn  out  my  whiskers  and  stand  back  on  my 
dignity.  You  know  you  would." 

"Don't  try  it,  Bobby,"  advised  Lloyd.  "It 
wouldn't  be  becoming.  Trot  out  to  Aunt  Cindy 
and  get  the  lunch.  That's  a  good  little  man.  We'll 
be  ready  in  just  a  few  minutes." 

Even  in  her  baby  days,  Lloyd  had  been  patroniz- 
ing at  times  to  her  good-natured  playmate,  order- 
ing him  about  with  a  princess-like  right  that  always 
seemed  part  of  the  game.  So  now  he  laughingly 
shrugged  his  shoulders  and  started  to  the  kitchen, 
while  Lloyd  followed  Betty  up-stairs  to  change  her 
slippers  for  heavy-soled  walking-boots. 

A  few  minutes  later  the  three  were  hurrying 
down  the  avenue  to  the  gate,  under  the  bare  wind- 
swept branches  of  the  locusts. 

"  Aunt  Cindy  had  disappeared  temporarily,"  said 
Rob.  "  There  wasn't  a  soul  in  the  kitchen,  so  I 
rummaged  around  till  I  found  this  old  basket,  and 


A  PICNIC  IN  THE  SNOW  l6l 

filled  it  with  a  little  of  everything  in  sight.  It  is 
a  long  way  to  the  creek.  We'll  be  ready  to  eat 
nails  by  the  time  we  tramp  over  there  in  this  snappy 
weather." 

"  It  is  snappy,"  agreed  Lloyd.  "  Betty,  yoah 
cheeks  are  as  red  as  fiah." 

The  rosy  face  under  the  brown  tam-o'-shanter 
smiled  back  at  her.  "  So  are  yours.  Aren't  they, 
Rob?  They  are  as  red  as  her  coat." 

"  Hello !  "  exclaimed  Rob,  noticing  for  the  first 
time  the  long  red  coat  that  Lloyd  wore.  "  That's 
something  new,  isn't  it?  I  thought  you  looked 
different,  but  I  couldn't  tell  exactly  what  it  was. 
That's  a  stunner,  sure  enough,  Princess.  It  sort 
of  livens  up  the  landscape." 

"  I'm  glad  you  like  it,"  laughed  Lloyd,  "  but  I 
don't  believe  you  would  have  seen  it  at  all  if  Betty 
hadn't  called  yoah  attention  to  it.  You'll  nevah 
get  on  in  society,  Bobby,  if  you  don't  learn  to  notice 
things.  You'll  miss  all  the  chances  most  boys  take 
advantage  of  to  pay  compliments  and  make  pretty 
little  speeches." 

Rob  scowled.  "  You  know  I  don't  go  in  for  that 
sort  of  stuff." 

"  But  you  ought  to,"  persisted  Lloyd,  who  was 
in  a  perverse  mood.  "  I  considah  it  my  duty  to  take 


1 62   LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

you  in  hand  and  teach  you.  You  may  practise  on 
Betty  and  me.  Now  we've  been  talking  to  Gay  all 
term  about  our  friends  in  Lloydsboro  Valley,  and 
naturally  we  want  everybody  to  put  their  best  foot 
foremost  and  show  off  their  prettiest.  Malcolm 
and  Keith  will  leave  a  charming  impression  of  them- 
selves, because  they  will  make  her  feel  in  such  an 
easy  graceful  way  that  she  has  made  that  sawt  of 
an  impression  on  them.  If  she  wears  an  especially 
pretty  dress,  or  says  an  especially  bright  thing,  or 
plays  unusually  well,  they  will  notice  it  in  some 
way  so  that  she  will  know  that  they  noticed  it,  and 
that  they  were  pleased.  Naturally  that  will  please 
her,  and  she  will  like  them  bettah  for  it." 

Rob  faced  her  with  a  whimsical  expression. 
"  Look  here,  Lloyd  Sherman,  I've  played  every  kind 
of  a  game  that  you've  asked  me  to  ever  since  I 
learned  to  walk.  I've  been  your  man  Friday  when 
you  wanted  to  be  Robinson  Crusoe,  and  played 
B'r  Fox  to  your  B'r  Rabbit.  You've  scalped  me 
and  buried  me  and  dug  me  up.  You've  made 
me  be  Pharaoh  with  the  ten  plagues  of  Egypt,  or 
a  Christian  martyr  thrown  to  the  wild  beasts,  just 
as  it  pleased  your  fancy.  I've  even  played  dolls 
with  you  week  at  a  time,  but  I  swear  I  draw  the 
line  at  this.  I'll  do  anything  in  reason  to  help  en- 


A   PICNIC  IN  THE  SNOW  163 

tertain  your  chum,  —  ride  or  dance  or  skate  or  get 
up  private  theatricals,  —  but  I'll  iwt  make  a  ninny 
of  myself  trying  to  be  flowery  and  get  off  compli- 
mentary speeches.  It  comes  natural  to  some  people, 
but  I'm  not  built  that  way.  I'd  be  as  awkward  at 
it  as  a  fish  out  of  water." 

Lloyd  turned  her  head  with  a  despairing  gesture. 
"  Oh,  Rob,  you're  hopeless !  You  don't  undahstand 
at  all !  Nobody  wants  you  to  be  flowery,  and  no- 
body likes  flat-footed,  out-and-out  compliments. 
They're  not  nice  at  all.  I  just  meant  —  well  —  I 
scarcely  know  what  I  did  mean,  but  you  know  how 
Malcolm  does.  It  isn't  that  he  says  a  thing  in  so 
many  words,  but  he  has  a  way  of  somehow  making 
you  feel  that  he  has  noticed  nice  things  about  you, 
and  that  he  is  thinking  compliments." 

"  Gee  whiz !  "  exclaimed  Rob,  in  a  teasing  tone. 
"  Say  that  again,  won't  you  please,  and  say  it 
slowly,  so  that  I  can  take  it  all  in.  Do  I  get  the 
thought  ?  To  be  agreeable  one  must  not  say  things, 
but  must  cultivate  an  air  of  having  noticed  that  you 
are  agreeable,  and  stand  off  and  think  compliments 
so  hard  that  you  can  actually  feel  them  flying 
through  the  air.  Is  that  your  idea?  " 

"  Oh,  Rob!     Stop  your  teasing." 


1 64  LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

11  Well,  that  is  what  you  said,  or  words  to  that 
effect.  Didn't  she,  Betty?" 

The  brown  eyes  flashed  an  amused  smile  at  him. 
They  walked  along  in  silence  for  a  few  minutes, 
then  he  said,  humbly,  but  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye 
which  boded  mischief:  "Well,  I'll  do  the  best  I 
can  to  please  you,  Lloyd.  I'll  watch  Malcolm  till 
I  get  the  hang  of  it,  then  I'll  stand  off  and  think 
compliments  about  your  friend  till  her  ears  burn 
and  she  is  duly  impressed.  Grandfather  is  always 
saying,  '  Who  does  the  best  his  circumstance  allows, 
does  nobly.  Angels  could  do  no  more.'  " 

"  I  wish  I  had  never  mentioned  the  subject," 
pouted  Lloyd,  as  they  walked  on  down  the  frozen 
pike.  "  I  simply  meant  to  give  you  a  little  advice 
for  yoah  own  good,  and  you've  gone  and  made  a 
joke  of  it.  I  am  suah  you'll  say  or  do  something 
befoah  the  mawning  is  ovah  that  will  make  Gay 
think  you  are  perfectly  dreadful." 

Rob  only  laughed  in  answer,  leaving  her  to  infer 
that  she  had  good  reason  for  her  fears.  As  they 
passed  the  only  store  which  the  Valley  boasted, 
Kitty  came  rushing  out,  a  bright  new  tin  saucepan 
dangling  at  her  side  like  a  drum.  It  was  tied  by 
a  piece  of  twine,  and  she  was  beating  a  tattoo  upon 


A  PICNIC  IN  THE  SNOW  165 

it  with  a  long-handled  iron  spoon.  Keith  followed, 
his  overcoat  pockets  bulging  with  parcels. 

"  Are  you  playing  Santa  Claus  this  early  ?  "  cried 
Betty,  as  he  hurried  across  to  shake  hands  with 
them. 

"  No;  Kitty  decided  that  no  social  function  in 
the  woods  was  properly  a  picnic  without  a  fire  and 
some  kind  of  a  mess  to  cook.  So  we  stopped  at 
the  store,  and  she's  loaded  me  down  with  stuff  for 
fudge.  Malcolm  and  the  girls  are  on  ahead  in  the 
waiting-room." 

"  Where's  Ranald  ?  "  asked  Lloyd,  as  they  crossed 
the  railroad  track  and  walked  along  the  platform 
toward  the  door  of  the  station. 

"  He's  gone  hunting  with  John  Baylor,  the  boy 
he  brought  home  from  school  with  him,"  answered 
Kitty.  "  We  can't  get  him  within  a  stone's  throw 
of  Gay.  I  teased  him  so  unmercifully  in  my  letters 
about  the  girl  who  had  asked  for  his  picture  to  put 
in  her  group  of  heroes  that  he  won't  even  look  in 
her  direction." 

As  Lloyd  greeted  Malcolm,  whom  she  had  not 
seen  since  the  close  of  the  summer  vacation,  and 
then  stood  talking  with  him  while  Allison  intro- 
duced Rob  to  her  guest,  she  was  conscious  that 
Rob  was  watching  every  motion,  and  making  note 


1 66   LITTLE   COLONELS   CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

of  it,  to  tease  her  afterward.  A  few  moments  later, 
when  they  were  all  discussing  a  choice  of  places 
for  the  picnic-grounds,  he  edged  over  to  her. 

"  Now  I  understand  what  you  mean,"  he  said,  in 
a  low  voice.  "  Malcolm  didn't  say  anything  about 
that  red  coat.  He  just  gave  a  sort  of  quick,  pleased 
glance  at  it,  as  if  it  had  hit  him  hard,  and  made 
some  gallant  speech  about  a  Kentucky  cardinal.  I 
tried  my  best  to  follow  suit.  So  when  I  was  intro- 
duced, I  gave  the  same  kind  of  a  glad  start  when 
I  saw  her  hair,  and  was  about  to  make  a  similar 
reference  to  a  Texas  redbird,  when  my  courage 
failed  me.  So  I  just  stood  off  and  fired  the 
name  at  her  in  thought  till  I'm  sure  she  under- 
stood." 

"  You  mean  thing!  "  exclaimed  Lloyd,  under  her 
breath.  "  Her  hair  isn't  red.  It's  just  a  deep,  rich, 
bronzy  auburn,  and  perfectly  lovely.  I  do  wish 
I'd  nevah  said  anything.  Now  you'll  not  act  nat- 
ural, and  you  won't  like  each  othah  as  I  had  hoped 
you  would." 

A  gayer  picnic  party  never  started  down  the 
pike  than  the  one  that  went  laughing  along  the 
road  that  winter  morning,  under  barbed-wire  fences, 
through  pasture  gates,  across  bare  woodlands,  and 
over  frozen  corn-fields.  It  was  a  still  gray  morning, 


A  PICNIC  IN  THE  SNOW  167 

with  the  chill  of  snow  in  the  air,  and  presently  the 
snow  began  to  fall  in  big  feathery  flakes. 

Gay  was  delighted.  She  held  up  her  face  to  let 
the  cold,  star-shaped  crystals  settle  on  it.  She 
caught  them  on  her  sleeve  to  marvel  over  their  airy 
beauty.  "  It's  like  frozen  thistle-down !  "  she  cried. 
"  I  hope  it  will  snow  all  day  and  all  night  until 
everything  is  covered.  I  never  saw  a  white  Christ- 
mas." 

"  This  will  stop  the  skating,"  said  Allison,  "  un- 
less we  had  a  broom  to  sweep  the  ice  as  it  falls." 

Rob  offered  to  go  back  for  one,  but  they  were 
so  far  on  their  way  they  all  protested  it  would  not 
be  worth  while. 

"How  much  farthah  is  it?"  asked  Lloyd,  pres- 
ently. For  the  last  half-mile  she  had  had  nothing 
to  say,  and  had  fallen  behind  the  others. 

"  I'm  so  tiahed  I  can  hardly  take  another  step." 

Rob  looked  at  her  curiously.  It  seemed  strange 
for  Lloyd  to  admit  that  she  was  tired.  He  had 
known  her  to  tramp  nearly  all  day  after  nuts,  and 
then  be  ready  for  a  horseback  ride  afterward. 

"  We'll  stop  just  over  this  hill,"  he  replied. 
"  There's  a  good  place  to  camp.  Here !  Catch  hold 
of  my  skate-strap,  and  I'll  help  pull  you  up." 

"  It  helps  some,"  she  said,  clinging  to  the  strap 


168  LITTLE  COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

swung  over  his  shoulder,  "  but  I  don't  believe  I'll 
evah  get  ovah  this  hill." 

"  It  looks  like  a  grove  of  Christmas  trees !  "  cried 
Gay,  as  they  started  down  the  other  side  toward 
the  creek.  Little  cedars  from  two  to  five  feet  high 
dotted  the  hillside,  and  the  snow  had  drifted  across 
them  till  the  branches  drooped  with  the  soft  white 
burden.  It  began  blowing  faster,  and  coming  down 
like  a  thick  white  sheet  between  them  and  the  creek. 

Rob,  who  had  often  picnicked  here  on  his  hunt- 
ing trips,  led  the  way  farther  down  the  hill  to  a 
cavelike  opening  under  an  overhanging  ledge  of 
rocks. 

"This  will  keep  the  wind  off  your  backs,"  he 
said.  "  Huddle  down  here  a  few  minutes  until  we 
build  a  fire.  Then  you'll  be  all  right." 

Some  charred  sticks  and  ashes  between  two  flat 
rocks,  with  an  old  piece  of  sheet  iron  laid  on  top, 
marked  the  spot  where  many  meals  had  been 
cooked.  The  boys  began  at  once  foraging  for  fire- 
wood. There  was  plenty  of  it  all  around,  —  dead 
limbs  and  broken  twigs,  —  and  soon  they  had  a 
big  heap  ready  to  light. 

"  Now  if  somebody  can  donate  a  piece  of  paper 
to  start  a  blaze,  we'll  have  you  warm  in  a  jiffy," 
said  Rob. 


A  PICNIC  IN  THE  SNOW  1 69 

Keith  slapped  his  pockets.  "  I  haven't  a  scrap," 
he  declared.  "  Malcolm,  you  might  be  able  to  spare 
that  bunch  of  letters  you  carry  around  in  your 
pocket.  You've  read  them  enough  to  know  them 
by  heart,  I  should  think." 

"Oh,  keep  still,  can't  you?"  muttered  Malcolm, 
in  an  aside.  "  Don't  get  funny  now." 

"  See  him  get  red !  "  whispered  Keith  to  Betty. 
"  They're  from  a  girl  he  met  at  the  first  college 
hop  last  fall.  She's  older  than  he  is,  but  he  thinks 
she's  the  one  and  only." 

Then  he  turned  to  Malcolm1  again.  "  You  might 
at  least  spare  the  envelopes  when  it's  to  keep  us 
from  freezing.  It  would  be  a  big  sacrifice,  but  to 
save  your  own  blood  and  kin,  you  know  —  " 

Malcolm,  stole  a  quick  glance  at  Lloyd,  but  she 
was  leaning  wearily  against  the  ledge  of  rocks,  pay- 
ing no  attention  to  Keith's  remarks.  Kitty  solved 
the  difficulty  by  diving  into  Keith's  pockets  after 
the  packages,  and  emptying  the  brown  sugar  and 
chocolate  into  the  saucepan.  She  handed  the  wrap- 
ping-paper and  bag  to  Rob,  saying  if  that  was  not 
enough  she  would  scratch  the  label  off  the  can  of 
evaporated  cream. 

Carefully  holding  his  hat  over  the  pile  of  twigs 
tc  shield  it  from  the  wind,  Rob  applied  a  match  to 


I/O  LITTLE   COLO  NEDS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

the  paper.  It  blazed  up  and  caught  the  wood  at 
once,  and  in  a  few  moments  a  comfortable  fire  was 
crackling  in  front  of  them.  Back  in  the  cavelike 
hollow,  under  the  rocks,  the  boys  found  a  big,  dry 
log,  which  other  campers  had  put  there  for  a  seat. 
They  rolled  it  forward  toward  the  fire.  Some  flat 
stones  were  soon  heated  for  the  girls  to  put  their 
feet  on,  and,  warmed  and  rested,  they  began  to  in- 
vestigate the  contents  of  the  baskets. 

"Oh,  Rob!"  groaned  Lloyd.  "What  a  lunch 
you  did  pick  up  for  a  wintah  day!  These  slabs 
of  cold  pumpkin  pie  would  freeze  the  teeth  of  a 
polah  beah,  and  there's  nothing  else  but  pickles  and 
cheese  and  apples  and  raw  eggs." 

"  That's  fine !  "  exclaimed  Allison.  "  We  can 
roast  the  eggs  in  the  ashes,  and  I've  brought  bacon 
to  broil  over  the  fire  on  switches.  And  here's 
crackers  and  gingersnaps  and  salmon  —  " 

"  And  peanuts,"  added  Kitty,  "  don't  forget  them. 
Or  the  fudge.  We  will  have  that  ready  in  a  little 
while." 

"  Now  what  could  be  jollier  than  this  ?  "  cried 
Gay,  as  she  took  the  long,  pointed  switch  that  Rob 
cut  for  her,  and  held  a  piece  of  bacon  over  the  fire 
to  broil.  "  It's  a  thousand  times  nicer  than  a  picnic 
in  the  summer,  when  you  get  so  hot,  and  the  mos- 


A  PICNIC  IN  THE  SNOW  IJl 

quitoes  and  redbugs  and  spiders  swarm  all  over 
you." 

Lloyd,  with  a  sigh  of  relief,  saw  that  Rob  was 
"  acting  natural "  at  last,  and  he  and  Gay  were 
showing  off  to  mutual  advantage.  She  was  enjoy- 
ing the  novel  experience  so  fully  that  she  was  in 
her  brightest  spirits,  and  he  was  talking  to  her  with 
the  familiar  ease  with  which  he  talked  to  Lloyd  and 
Betty,  even  scolding  her  with  brotherly  frankness 
when  she  dripped  bacon  grease  around  too  promis- 
cuously. 

The  eggs  were  saltless,  the  bacon  smoked  and 
black,  because,  held  in  the  flame  as  often  as  against 
the  embers,  nearly  every  piece  caught  fire  and  had 
to  be  blown  out.  Smoke  blew  in  their  eyes,  and 
the  snow  fell  thicker  and  thicker.  But,  with  their 
feet  on  the  hot  stones,  their  backs  to  the  sheltering 
ledge  of  rocks,  and  the  fire  crackling  in  front  of 
them,  they  sang  and  laughed  and  ate  with  a  zest 
which  no  summer  picnic  could  have  inspired. 

No  one  had  remembered  to  bring  a  pail  for  water, 
and  rather  than  tramp  over  another  hill  to  a  dis- 
tant spring,  they  quenched  their  thirst  with  hand- 
fuls  of  snow.  The  fudge  boiled  over,  and  more 
than  half  of  it  was  lost  in  the  ashes. 

"  It's  a  good  thing  that  it  did,"  Allison  declared, 


1/2   LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

tossing  the  empty  salmon  box  and  a  bag  of  peanut 
shells  into  the  fire.  "  Ugh !  The  mixture  we've 
already  eaten  is  enough  to  kill  us !  I  think  we  ought 
to  start  back  home  now.  I'm  sure  that  I  heard  the 
one  o'clock  train  whistle." 

But  Kitty  protested.  They  hadn't  been  out  half 
long  enough,  she  said.  If  the  ice  on  the  creek  had 
been  free  from  snow,  they  would  have  skated  for 
hours,  and  she  thought  as  long  as  that  sport  had 
been  spoiled,  they  ought  to  do  something  to  make 
up  for  it.  Gay  had  never  gathered  any  mistletoe. 
She  thought  it  would  be  fun  for  them  all  to  go 
around  by  Stone  Hollow,  and  get  some  off  the  big 
trees  that  grew  in  the  surrounding  pastures. 

Lloyd  listened  to  the  ready  assent  of  the  others 
with  a  sinking  heart.  She  had  been  leaning  back 
against  the  rocks  for  some  time,  taking  no  part 
in  the  conversation.  She  had  grown  so  tired  that 
she  dreaded  the  long  tramp  home,  and  had  been 
vainly  wishing  that  Tarbaby  could  suddenly  ap- 
pear on  the  scene,  or  some  one  with  a  conveyance. 
Even  a  wheelbarrow  or  a  go-cart  would  have  been 
welcome.  She  could  not  remember  that  she  had 
ever  felt  so  exhausted  before  in  all  her  life. 

"  But  I  won't  be  the  one  to  hang  back  and  spoil 
every  one's  fun,"  she  said  to  herself,  "  They 


A  PIC  me  IN  THE  SNOW  173 

wouldn't  let  me  go  home  the  shorter  way  by  myself. 
It  would  only  break  up  the  pah'ty  if  I  proposed  it. 
But  I  do  not  see  how  I  can  evah  drag  myself  all 
the  way  around  by  Stone  Hollow." 

At  another  time  they  might  have  noticed  that  she 
lagged  behind,  that  she  had  little  to  say,  and  that 
she  looked  white  and  tired.  But  Gay,  her  spirits 
rising  in  the  wintry  air,  was  in  her  most  rollicking 
mood.  Even  Kitty  had  never  known  her  to  say  so 
many  funny  things  or  to  tell  so  many  amusing  ex- 
periences. She  followed  on  behind  with  Lloyd, 
watching  admiringly  as  Gay's  bright  face  was 
turned  first  toward  Malcolm,  then  toward  Rob, 
jubilant  to  see  that  her  guest  was  captivating  them 
as  she  did  every  one  else  who  fell  under  the  charm 
of  her  vivacious  manner. 

Betty  and  Allison  were  on  ahead  with  Keith, 
keeping  a  sharp  lookout  for  mistletoe.  Lloyd 
scarcely  heard  what  any  one  said.  She  plodded 
along  like  one  in  a  dream.  It  was  an  effort  just 
to  lift -her  feet.  Only  one  thing  in  life  seemed  de- 
sirable just  then,  that  was  her  warm,  soft  bed  at 
home.  If  she  could  only  creep  into  that  and  shut 
her  tired  eyes  and  lie  there,  she  wouldn't  care  if 
she  didn't  waken  for  a  month.  She  felt  that  it 


174  LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS   VACATION 

would  be  bliss  to  sleep  through  Christmas  and  the 
entire  vacation. 

The  long  walk  came  to  an  end  at  last.  The  round- 
about route  through  Stone  Hollow  led  them  near 
Locust,  and,  with  their  arms  full  of  mistletoe,  the 
merry  picnickers  parted  from  Lloyd  and  Betty  at 
the  gate.  Gay  exclaimed  enthusiastically  over  the 
beautiful  old  avenue,  leading  under  the  snow-cov- 
ered locusts  to  the  house,  but  to  Lloyd's  relief  her 
invitation  to  come  in  was  refused.  There  were  a 
dozen  reasons  why  they  could  not  stop,  but  they 
promised  to  be  over  early  next  morning. 

"  It  has  been  the  very  loveliest  picnic  I  ever  went 
to  in  my  whole  life,"  declared  Gay,  as  they  turned 
away.  "  I'd  like  to  turn  around  and  do  it  all  over 
again." 

"  So  would  I,"  echoed  Betty,  warmly.  "  I'm  not 
at  all  tired." 

Lloyd  looked  at  her  in  vague  wonder  as  they 
plodded  up  the  avenue.  "  I  don't  know  what's  the 
mattah  with  me,"  she  said,  "  that  I  couldn't  keep 
up  with  you  all,  unless  it's  true  what  Miss  Gilmer 
said.  The  ice  is  too  thin  for  holiday  dissipations, 
and  this  picnic  was  too  great  a  weight  for  it." 

Betty  glanced  at  her  white  face  anxiously.    "  Go 


A  PICNIC  IN  THE  SNOW  175 

and  lie  down  the  rest  of  the  afternoon,"  she  said. 
"  I'll  tie  up  your  packages." 

"  Oh,  if  you  only  would ! "  exclaimed  Lloyd, 
gratefully.  "  But  it  seems  too  much  to  ask  of  any 
one.  Don't  tell  mothah  that  I  got  so  woh'n  out. 
I'll  be  all  right  by  evening." 

"  She  hasn't  come  home  yet,"  said  Betty,  looking 
ahead  of  them  at  the  smooth  expanse  of  newly  fallen 
snow.  "  There  isn't  a  track  either  of  foot  or  wheel." 

"  Then  maybe  I'll  have  time  for  a  nap,  and  be  all 
rested  when  she  comes,"  said  Lloyd.  "  I  don't  want 
her  to  get  any  of  Miss  Gilmer's  notions  about  me." 


CHAPTER   IX. 

A   PROGRESSIVE   CHRISTMAS   PARTY 

LLOYD  stood  at  the  window  in  the  falling  twi- 
light and  looked  out  across  the  snow.  It  had  been 
an  ideal  Christmas  Day.  She  could  feel  the  chill 
of  the  white  winter  world  outside  as  she  leaned 
against  the  frosty  pane,  but  in  her  scarlet  dress, 
with  the  holly  berries  at  her  belt  and  in  her  hair, 
she  looked  the  embodiment  of  Christmas  warmth 
and  cheer,  and  as  if  no  cold  could  touch  her. 

The  candles  had  not  yet  been  lighted,  but  the 
room  was  filled  wth  the  ruddy  glow  of  the  big  wood 
fire.  It  shone  warmly  on  the  frames  of  the  por- 
traits and  the  tall  gilded  harp  with  its  shining 
strings,  and  gave  a  burnishing  touch  to  Betty's 
brown  hair,  as  she  stood  by  the  piano,  fingering 
for  the  hundredth  time  the  presents  she  had  received 
that  day.  Her  dress  of  soft  white  wool  suggested, 
like  Lloyd's,  the  Yule-tide  season,  for  in  the  belt 
and  shoulder-knots  of  dull  green  velvet  were  caught 
clusters  of  mistletoe,  the  tiny  waxen  berries  gleam- 
ing like  pearls. 

17* 


A  PROGRESSIVE   CHRISTMAS  PARTY         Iff 

"Everything  is  so  lovely!"  she  sighed,  happily, 
picking  up  her  camera  to  admire  it  once  more.  It 
was  her  godmother's  gift,  and  the  thing  she  had 
most  longed  to  own. 

She  focussed  it  on  Lloyd,  who,  in  her  scarlet 
dress,  stood  vividly  outlined  by  the  firelight  against 
the  curtains.  "  I  took  three  pictures  this  morning 
while  Rob  was  here,  all  snow  scenes.  The  house, 
the  locust  avenue,  and  a  group  of  little  darkies  run- 
ning after  your  grandfather,  calling  out,  '  Chris'- 
mus  gif ',  Colonel ! '  I  think  I'd  better  carry  my 
things  all  up  to  my  room,"  she  added,  presently. 
"  There'll  be  so  many  people  here  soon,  and  so 
much  moving  around  when  the  hunt  begins,  that 
they'll  be  in  the  way." 

"You'll  need  a  wheelbarrow  to  take  them  in," 
answered  Lloyd,  turning  from  the  window  to  watch 
her  gather  them  up.  "  You'd  bettah  call  Walkahi 
to  help  you." 

"  Santa  Claus  certainly  was  good  to  me,"  an- 
swered  Betty,  picking  up  Mr.  Sherman's  gift,  a 
beautiful  mother-of-pearl  opera-glass.  It  was  like 
the  one  he  had  given  Lloyd,  except  for  the  differ- 
ence in  monograms.  She  rubbed  it  lovingly  with 
her  handkerchief,  and  laid  it  beside  the  camera  to 
be  carried  up-stairs.  There  were  books  from  the 


1/8    LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS    VACATION 

old  Colonel,  an  ivory  photograph- frame  exquisitely 
carved  from  Lloyd.  Dozens  of  little  articles  from 
the  girls  at  school,  and  remembrances  from  nearly 
every  friend  in  the  Valley.  There  was  more  than 
her  arms  could  hold,  and,  bringing  a  large  tray 
from  the  dining-room,  she  made  two  trips  up  and 
down  stairs  with  it  before  her  treasures  were  all 
lodged  safely  in  her  room. 

Left  alone  for  the  first  time  that  busy  day,  Lloyd 
stood  a  moment  longer  peering  out  into  the  snowy 
twilight,  and  then  crossed  the  room  to  the  table 
where  her  gifts  were  spread  out.  There  had  never 
been  so  many  for  her  since  her  days  of  dolls  and 
dishes  and  woolly  lambs.  The  opera-glasses  like 
Betty's  were  what  she  had  wished  for  all  year. 
The  purse  her  grandfather  had  slipped  into  the  toe 
of  her  stocking  was  the  prettiest  little  affair  of  gray 
suede  and  silver  she  had  ever  seen.  She  had 
thought  of  a  dozen  delightful  ways  to  spend  the 
gold  eagle  which  it  held. 

The  book-rack  which  Betty  had  burnt  for  her, 
with  her  initials  on  each  end,  was  already  nearly 
filled  with  the  books  that  different  friends  had  sent 
her.  Rob's  gift  had  been  a  book.  So  had  Miss 
Allison's  and  Mrs.  MacTntyre's  and  the  old  family 
doctor's.  Malcolm  had  sent  a  great  bunch  of  Amer- 


A   PROGRESSIVE   CHRISTMAS  PARTY        179 

ican  Beauties.  She  drew  the  vase  toward  her  and 
buried  her  face  a  moment  in  the  delicious  fragrance. 
Then  she  nibbled  a  caramel  from  Keith's  box  of 
candy.  The  rosebud  sachet-bag  which  Gay  made 
lay  in  the  box  of  handkerchiefs  that  good  old  Mom 
Beck  had  given  her. 

She  patted  the  thick  letter  from  Joyce  that  told 
so  much  of  interest  about  Ware's  Wigwam.  She 
intended  to  have  the  water-colour  sketch  of  Squaw's 
Peak  framed  to  take  back  to  school  with  her. 
Mary's  fat  little  fingers  had  braided  the  Indian 
basket  which  came  with  Joyce's  picture,  and  Jack 
himself  had  killed  the  wildcat,  whose  skin  he  sent 
to  make  a  rug  for  her  room.  Lloyd  was  proud  of 
that  skin.  As  she  stood  smoothing  the  tawny  fur, 
the  diamond  on  her  finger  flashed  like  fire,  and  she 
stood  turning  her  hand  this  way  and  that,  that  the 
glow  of  the  flames  might  fall  on  her  new  ring. 

It  was  a  beautifully  cut  stone  in  an  old-fashioned 
setting,  with  the  word  "  Amanthis"  engraved  in- 
side; but  not  for  a  fortune  would  Lloyd  have  had 
the  little  circlet  changed  to  a  modern  setting.  For 
just  so  had  it  been  slipped  on  her  grandmother's 
finger  at  her  fifteenth  Christmas.  She  had  worn  it 
until  her  daughter's  fifteenth  Christmas,  and  now 
she,  in  turn,  had  given  it  to  Lloyd.  All  day  it  had 


ISO  LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

been  a  constant  joy  to  her.  Aside  from  the  pleasure 
of  possessing  such  a  beautiful  ring,  she  had  a  feel- 
ing that  in  its  flashing  heart  was  crystallized  a 
triple  happiness,  —  the  joy  of  three  Christmas  days : 
hers,  her  mother's,  and  the  beautiful  young  girl 
with  the  June  rose  in  her  hair,  who  smiled  down 
at  her  from  the  portrait  over  the  mantel. 

She  smiled  up  at  it  now  in  the  same  confiding 
way  she  had  done  as  a  child,  saying,  in  a  low  tone : 
"  And  when  you  played  on  the  harp,  it  flashed  on 
yoah  hand  just  as  it  does  on  mine."  Pleased  by  the 
fancy,  she  crossed  the  room  and  struck  a  few  chords 
on  the  harp,  watching  the  firelight  flash  on  the  ring 
as  she  did  so. 

«' «  Sing  me  the  songs  that  to  me  were  so  deah, 
Long,  long  ago,  long  ago ! ' " 

There  was  a  step  in  the  hall,  and  the  portieres 
were  pushed  aside  as  the  old  Colonel  came  in.  She 
did  not  stop,  for  she  knew  he  loved  the  old  song, 
and  that  she  was  helping  to  bring  back  his  happy 
past,  when  he  threw  himself  into  a  chair  before 
the  fire,  and  sat  looking  up  at  Amanthis. 

When  she  had  finished  the  song,  she  perched  her- 
self on  the  arm  of  his  chair,  and  began  ruffling  up 
his  white  hair  with  the  little  hand  which  wore  the 
diamond. 


A  PROGRESSIVE   CHRISTMAS  PARTY        l8l 

"  Well,  has  it  been  a  happy  day  for  grandpa's 
little  Colonel  ?  "  he  asked,  fondly,  passing  his  arm 
around  her. 

"  Oh,  yes,  grandfathah !  Brim  full  and  running 
ovah  with  all  sawts  of  lovely  surprises.  I'm  mighty 
glad  I'm  living.  And  the  best  of  it  is,  although 
the  day  is  neahly  ovah,  the  fun  isn't.  There's  still 
so  much  to  come." 

"  What  kind  of  a  performance  is  this  one  on  the 
programme  for  to-night?  "  he  asked.  "  Betty  said 
I  had  to  go  the  whole  round,  but  I  haven't  been  able 
to  gather  a  very  good  idea  of  what's  expected  of 
me." 

"  It's  just  a  progressive  Christmas  pah'ty,  grand- 
fathah," she  explained,  tweaking  his  ear  as  she 
talked.  "  We  couldn't  agree  about  the  celebration 
this  yeah.  Judge  Moore  wanted  us  all  to  go  to 
Oaklea.  Mrs.  Walton  thought  they  had  the  best 
right  on  account  of  their  guests,  so  we  arranged 
it  for  everybody  to  take  a  turn  at  entahtaining.  At 
five  o'clock  they're  all  to  come  heah  for  a  Christmas 
hunt.  They  ought  to  be  coming  now,  for  it's 
neahly  that  time.  At  half-past  six  we'll  have  din- 
nah  at  Oaklea.  At  half-past  eight  we'll  go  to  The 
Beeches  and  finish  the  evening  with  a  general  jolli- 
fication. Then  we'll  come  home  by  moonlight." 


1 82   LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

"What  is  a  Christmas  hunt?"  asked  the  Colo- 
nel. "  You'll  have  to  enlighten  my  ignorance." 

"  It's  a  game  that  mothah  and  Betty  thought  of. 
Betty  has  worked  like  a  dawg  to  get  the  rhymes 
ready.  She  scarcely  took  time  to  eat  yestahday,  and 
she  gave  up  going  to  the  charade  pah'ty  that  Miss 
Allison  gave  for  Gay  in  the  aftahnoon.  It's  this 
way.  We've  hidden  little  gifts  all  ovah  the  house, 
from  attic  to  cellah.  When  the  guests  come,  each 
one  will  be  given  a  card  with  a  rhyme  on  it,  like 
this." 

Slipping  from  the  arm  of  the  chair,  she  went 
out  into  the  hall  a  moment,  and  came  back  with 
a  Christmas  stocking,  trimmed  with  holly  and  hung 
with  tiny  sleigh-bells.  "  Little  Elise  Walton  is  to 
distribute  the  cards  from  this.  Heah  is  a  sample. 
Miss  Allison  happens  to  be  on  top." 

Adjusting  his  eye-glasses  the  Colonel  turned  so 
that  the  firelight  shone  on  the  card,  and  read  aloud : 

"  Seek  where  bygone  summers 
Have  dropped  their  roses  fair. 
A  little  Christmas  package 
Is  waiting  for  you  there." 

"  Now  where  would  you  look  if  that  cah'd  were 
for  you?"  she  demanded. 

"  In  the  conservatory  ?  "  he  replied,  inquiringly. 


A   PROGRESSIVE   CHRISTMAS  PARTY        183 

"  That  is  what  Miss  Allison  will  do,  probably," 
answered  Lloyd,  her  cheeks  dimpling  at  the  thought. 
"  But  aftah  awhile  she  will  remembah  the  old 
dragon  that  mothah  always  keeps  full  of  rose-leaves 
just  as  Grandmothah  Amanthis  did.  See?" 

She  lifted  the  lid  of  a  rare  old  cloisonne  rose- 
jar  that  had  stood  on  the  end  of  the  mantel  for  a 
longer  time  than  Lloyd's  memory  could  reach,  and 
took  out  a  small  box.  Taking  off  the  cover,  she 
disclosed  what  appeared  to  be  a  ripe  cherry  with  a 
bee  clinging  to  its  side. 

"  Take  the  bee  in  yoah  thumb  and  fingah  and 
pull,"  she  ordered.  "See?  It's  a  cunning  little 
tape-measuah  for  her  work-basket." 

A  sound  of  sleigh-bells  jingling  rapidly  toward 
the  house  made  her  clap  the  lid  on  the  box  and  drop 
it  hastily  back  into  the  rose-jar. 

"  There  they  come !  "  she  cried,  <c  and  the  candles 
haven't  been  lighted.  Hurry,  grandfathah!  We 
can't  wait  to  call  Walkah!  Throw  open  the  front 
doah!" 

Flying  to  the  hall  closet  for  the  long  taper  kept 
for  the  purpose,  she  held  it  an  instant  toward  the 
blazing  logs,  and  then  darting  around  the  room, 
passed  from  one  candelabrum  to  another,  till  every 
waxen  candle  was  tipped  with  its  star  of  light.  In 


184   LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

her  scarlet  dress  arid  the  holly  berries,  her  cheeks 
glowing  and  the  taper  held  above  her  head  as  she 
tiptoed  to  reach  the  highest  one,  she  looked  like 
some  radiant  acolyte  of  Joy. 

Betty,  rushing  breathlessly  down-stairs  at  the 
sound  of  the  sleigh-bells,  paused  an  instant  between 
the  portieres  at  sight  of  her.  "  Oh,  Lloyd ! "  she 
cried,  clasping  her  hands.  "  You've  given  me  the 
loveliest  idea!  I've  only  got  it  by  the  tail  feathers 
now,  but  I'll  find  words  for  it  all  some  day."  Then, 
without  waiting  to  explain,  she  ran  out  to  the  porch, 
where,  between  the  tall  pillars,  the  old  Colonel 
waited  with  elaborate  courtesy  to  receive  the  com- 
ing guests. 

As  the  sleighs  glided  nearer,  Betty  looked  back 
through  the  door  swung  hospitably  open  to  its  wid- 
est, and  saw  Lloyd  hastily  thrusting  the  taper  back 
into  the  closet. 

"  She  lighted  it  at  the  Christmas  fire,"  thought 
Betty,  struggling  with  the  tail  feathers  of  her  lovely 
idea,  in  an  effort  to  grasp  all  that  Lloyd's  act  sug- 
gested. "  And  red  is  the  emblem  of  joy.  It  might 
go  this  way :  '  She  touched  the  Christmas  tapers 
with  the  Yule  log's  heart  of  flame.'  No,  it  ought 
to  start,  — 


A   PROGRESSIVE   CHRISTMAS  PARTY         185 

"  Lighting  the  candles  of  Christmas  joy, 
With  a  spark  from  the  Yule  log's  fire." 

But  there  was  no  time  for  making  poetry,  with 
so  many  voices  calling  "  Merry  Christmas,"  and 
so  many  outstretched  hands  grasping  hers.  In  an- 
other instant  the  house  seemed  filled  to  overflowing, 
and  the  dim  old  mirrors  were  flashing  back  from 
every  side  one  of  the  gayest  scenes  the  hospitable 
old  mansion  had  ever  known. 

The  hunt  began  almost  immediately.  As  soon 
as  Elise  had  emptied  the  stocking  of  its  contents, 
up-stairs  and  down-stairs  and  in  my  lady's  cham- 
ber went  old  and  young  at  the  bidding  of  the 
rhymes. 

"  I  feel  like  a  '  goosey  gander/  sure  enough," 
said  Allison  presently.  "For  I've  been  all  over 
the  house,  and  there's  no  place  left  to  wander. 
Where  would  you  go  if  you  had  this  card  ?  " 

She  thrust  hers  out  toward  Gay,  who  read : 

"  Standing  with  reluctant  feet 
Where  Brooks  and  Little  Rivers  meet*' 

Gay  puzzled  over  it  a  moment,  and  then  suggested 
that  she  try  the  library.  "  I  have,"  answered  Alli- 
son. "  Keith  found  his  package  in  there,  behind 
the  picture  of  a  Holland  windmill  and  canal,  but 


1 86  LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

there  is  nothing  else  in  the  room  that  suggests 
water  that  I  have  been  able  to  find." 

"  Who  wrote  '  Little  Rivers  '  ?  " 

Allison  stood  thinking  a  moment,  and  then  cried 
out :  "  Well,  of  course !  Why  didn't  I  think  to 
look  among  the  books  ?  "  Flying  down-stairs,  she 
began  glancing  along  the  library  shelves  until  she 
found  the  book  she  sought  and  Brooks's  sermons 
standing  side  by  side.  Between  them  was  wedged 
a  thin  package  which  proved  to  contain  a  picture 
which  she  had  long  wanted,  a  photograph  of  Mu- 
rillo's  painting  of  the  Madonna. 

To  Betty's  surprise  the  Christmas  stocking  held 
a  card  for  her.  She  had  supposed  her  part  of  the 
game  would  be  only  making  the  rhymes  and  helping 
to  hide  the  gifts.  There  was  no  rhyme  on  her  card, 
simply  the  statement,  "  Some  little  men  are  keeping 
it  for  you." 

Remembering  Allison's  experience,  she  ran  up- 
stairs to  Lloyd's  room,  where  in  a  low  bookcase 
were  all  the  juvenile  stories  that  her  childhood  had 
held  dear.  A  set  of  Miss  Alcott's  books  stood  first, 
and,  taking  out  the  well-thumbed  copy  of  "  Little 
Men,"  she  shook  it  gently,  fluttering  the  leaves, 
and  turning  it  upside  down.  But  the  volume  held 
nothing  except  a  four-leaf  clover,  which  Lloyd  had 


A  PROGRESSIVE   CHRISTMAS  PARTY         l8/ 

left  there  to  mark  the  place  one  summer  day.  Betty 
turned  away,  as  puzzled  as  any  of  the  others  whom 
she  had  helped  to  mystify. 

Then  she  remembered  two  little  wooden  gnomes 
carved  on  the  Swiss  match-box  and  ash-tray  in  the 
Colonel's  den.  She  dashed  in  there,  but  the  gnomes 
kept  guard  over  nothing  but  a  few  burnt  matches. 
Nearly  half  an  hour  went  by  of  bewildered  wan- 
dering from  place  to  place,  until  she  happened  to 
stray  into  Mr.  Sherman's  room.  She  stood  by  the 
desk,  letting  her  eyes  glance  slowly  over  its  hand- 
some furnishings.  Then,  with  a  start  of  surprise 
that  she  had  not  thought  of  it  before,  she  bent  over 
a  paper-weight.  It  was  a  crystal  ball  supported 
by  two  miniature  bronze  figures.  The  tiny  Grecian 
athletes  were  evidently  the  little  men  who  were 
keeping  something  for  her,  for  the  toy  suit-case 
standing  between  them  bore  a  tag  on  which  was 
printed  her  initials. 

The  suit-case  was  not  more  than  two  inches  long. 
She  supposed  it  contained  bonbons.  One  of  the 
girls  had  used  a  dozen  like  them  for  place  cards 
at  a  farewell  luncheon  just  before  they  went  away 
to  school.  It  did  not  open  at  the  first  pull,  and 
when,  at  the  second,  it  came  forcibly  apart,  there 
no  shower  of  pink  and  white  candies,  as  she 


1 88      LITTLE    COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

had  expected.     Only  a  bit  of  folded  paper  fell  out. 
Smoothing  it  on  the  desk,  Betty  read : 

'«  Dear  little  girl,  you  have  helped  all  the  rest 
To  a  happy  time  with  your  patient  hands. 
Now  fly  for  a  week  to  the  Cuckoo's  Nest, 
With  godmother's  love,  for  she  understands." 

Then  Betty  was  glad  that  she  was  all  alone  in 
the  room  when  she  found  the  suit-case,  for  the  tears 
began  to  brim  up  into  her  eyes  and  spill  over  on 
to  the  paper  that  had  a  crisp  new  greenback  pinned 
to  it.  The  tears  were  all  happy  ones,  but  she  hardly 
knew  what  they  were  for.  Whether  she  was  hap- 
pier because  her  heart's  desire  was  granted,  and 
she  could  spend  her  vacation  with  Davy,  or  whether 
it  was  because  of  that  last  line,  "  With  godmother's 
love,  for  she  understands." 

"  Lloyd  must  have  told  her  what  I  said  that  day 
on  the  train,"  she  thought.  It  was  the  crowning 
happiness  of  the  day  for  Betty.  She  was  singing 
under  her  breath  when  she  danced  out  into  the  hall 
to  join  the  others. 

Some  of  the  articles  were  so  cleverly  hidden  that 
she  had  to  give  an  occasional  hint  to  the  bewildered 
seekers.  In  the  seats  of  chairs,  over  the  deer's  ant- 
lers in  the  hall,  high  up  in  the  candelabra,  strapped 


A   PROGRESSIVE   CHRISTMAS  PARTY        189 

inside  of  umbrellas,  poked  into  glove  fingers,  all 
of  them  were  in  unexpected  places.  Yet  the  direc- 
tions of  the  verses  seemed  so  plain  when  once  under- 
stood that  the  hunters  laughed  at  their  own  stu- 
pidity. 

Even  Judge  Moore  and  the  old  Colonel  were 
swept  into  the  game,  and  Mrs.  Maclntyre's  silvery 
hair  bent  just  as  eagerly  as  Elise's  dark  curls  over 
each  suspected  spot  and  out-of-the-way  corner  until 
she  found  the  volume  of  essays  that  had  been  hidden 
for  her. 

By  quarter-past  six  every  one's  search  had  been 
successful  except  Rob's.  "  It  would  take  a  Chris- 
topher Columbus  to  find  this  place,"  he  said,  scowl- 
ing at  his  verse.  "  And  I'd  be  willing  to  bet  any- 
thing that  it  isn't  the  bank  that  Shakespeare  had 
in  mind.  Give  me  a  hint,  Lloyd."  He  held  out 
the  card: 

"  I  know  a  bank  where  the  wild  thyme  grows. 

Unseen  it  lies,  unsung  by  bard. 
Something  keeps  watch  there,  no  man  knows, 
And  over  your  gift  it's  standing  guard." 

"  I  haven't  the  faintest  idea  what  it  is,"  she  said. 
"  Betty  wrote  so  many  of  them  yestahday  aftah- 
noon  while  I  was  at  the  pah'ty,  and  she  wouldn't 
tell  me  this  one.  She  said  she  thought  you'd  suahly 


igo  LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS   VACATION 

guess  it,  but  she  didn't  want  you  to  have  a  hint 
from  any  one.  Come  ovah  to-morrow,  and  we'll 
find  it  if  we  have  to  turn  the  house  upside  down." 

The  sleighs  had  made  one  trip  to  Oaklea  and 
returned  for  another  load,  when  Rob  finally  gave 
up  the  search.  Lloyd  and  Gay  climbed  into  the 
same  seat,  and,  as  they  cuddled  down  among  the 
warm  robes,  Gay  caught  Lloyd's  hand  in  an  im- 
petuous squeeze. 

"Oh,  I'm  having  such  a  good  time!"  she  ex- 
claimed. "  I've  been  in  a  dizzy  whirl  ever  since 
five  o'clock  this  morning.  I  never  had  a  sleigh- 
ride  before  to-day.  I  don't  wonder  that  Betty  calls 
this  the  House  Beautiful.  Look  back  at  it  now. 
It's  fairy-land !  "  A  light  was  streaming  from  every 
window,  and  the  snow  sparkled  like  diamonds  in 
the  moonlight. 

The  drive  to  Oaklea  was  so  short  that  the  Judge 
and  Mrs.  Moore  were  welcoming  them  at  the  door 
before  Gay  had  fairly  begun  her  account  of  the 
day's  happening.  Dinner  was  announced  almost 
immediately,  and  she  was  ushered  into  one  of  the 
largest  dining-rooms  she  had  ever  seen,  and  seated 
at  the  long  table.  Such  a  large  Christmas  tree 
formed  the  centrepiece  that  she  could  catch  only 
an  occasional  glimpse  through  its  branches  of  Lloyd, 


A  PROGRESSIVE   CHRISTMAS  PARTY        19! 

seated  on  the  other  side  between  Malcolm  and  John 
Baylor. 

Gay  was  between  Ranald  and  Rob.  While  she 
kept  up  a  lively  chatter,  first  with  one  and  then  the 
other,  a  sentence  floating  across  the  table  now  and 
then  made  her  long  to  hear  what  was  being  said 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Christmas  tree.  She  heard 
Malcolm  say,  in  a  surprised  tone :  "  Maud  Minor ! 
No,  indeed,  I  didn't!  Why,  I  scarcely  mentioned 
you.  Don't  you  believe  —  " 

A  general  laugh  at  one  of  the  old  Colonel's  sto- 
ries drowned  the  rest  of  the  sentence,  and  left  Gay 
wondering  which  one  of  Maud's  many  tales  was  not 
to  be  believed. 

"  I'll  ask  her  after  dinner,"  thought  Gay.  But 
it  was  a  long  time  till  all  the  courses  that  followed 
the  turkey  gave  way  in  slow  succession  to  plum 
pudding  and  the  trifles  on  the  Christmas  tree.  Then 
Gay  had  no  opportunity  to  ask  her  question,  for 
Malcolm  still  stayed  by  Lloyd's  side  when  the  com- 
pany broke  up  into  little  groups  in  the  hall  and  the 
adjoining  parlours. 

"  The  children  are  growing  up,  Jack,"  said  the 
old  Judge,  laying  his  hand  on  Mr.  Sherman's  shoul- 
der, as  several  couples  passed  on  their  way  to  the 
music-room.  "  There's  Rob,  now,  the  young  rascal, 


1 92   LITTLE    COLONS  US   CHRISTMAS    VACATION 

taller  than  his  father;  and  it  seems  only  yesterday 
that  he  was  riding  pickaback  on  my  shoulders,  and 
tooting  his  first  Christmas  trumpet  in  my  ears. 
And  young  Maclntyre  there  is  nearly  a  full-fledged 
man.  He'll  soon  be  eighteen,  he  tells  me.  Why, 
at  his  age  —  " 

The  Judge  rambled  off  into  a  series  of  remi- 
niscences which  would  have  been  very  entertaining 
to  the  younger  man  had  his  eyes  not  been  following 
Lloyd.  He  did  not  like  to  think  that  she  was  grow- 
ing up.  He  wanted  to  keep  her  a  child.  In  his 
fond  eyes  she  was  always  beautiful,  but  he  had  never 
seen  her  look  as  well  as  she  did  to-night.  The  scar- 
let dress  and  the  holly  berries  gave  her  unusual 
colour.  He  fancied  that  there  was  a  deeper  flush 
on  her  face  when  Malcolm  leaned  over  her  chair 
to  say  something  to  her.  Then  he  told  himself  that 
it  was  only  fancy.  Looking  up,  Lloyd  caught  sight 
of  her  father  in  the  doorway,  and  flashed  him  a 
smile  so  open  and  reassuring  that  he  turned  away, 
thinking,  "My  honest  little  Hildegarde!  She 
asked  for  her  yardstick,  and  I  can  surely  trust  her 
to  use  it  as  she  promised." 

Presently  Malcolm,  hunting  through  his  pockets 
for  a  programme  he  was  talking  about,  took  out 
a  bunch  of  letters.  As  he  hastily  turned  them  over, 


A  PROGRESSIVE   CHRISTMAS  PARTY         193 

several  unmounted  photographs  fluttered  out  and 
fell  at  Lloyd's  feet.  An  amused  smile  dimpled  her 
mouth  as  her  hasty  glance  showed  her  that  they 
were  all  of  the  same  girl,  —  evidently  kodak  shots 
he  had  taken  himself.  Probably  that  was  the  girl 
and  these  were  the  letters  that  Keith  had  teased 
him  about  at  the  picnic. 

Neither  spoke,  and  he  reddened  uncomfortably 
at  her  amused  smile,  as  he  put  them  back  into  his 
pocket.  At  that  moment,  Rob  turned  toward  them, 
holding  his  new  watch  in  his  hand. 

"  I  have  just  been  showing  Ranald  the  present 
Daddy  gave  me,"  he  said  to  Lloyd.  "  It  reminded 
me  that  I  hadn't  told  you,  —  I've  put  that  same  old 
four-leaf  clover  into  the  back  of  this  watch  that 
I  had  in  my  silver  one.  I  wouldn't  lose  my  luck 
by  losing  your  hoodoo  charm  for  anything  in  the 
world." 

At  the  sight  of  the  clover  Lloyd  blushed  violently. 
But  it  was  not  the  little  dried  leaf  that  deepened 
the  quick  colour  in  her  cheeks.  It  was  the  thought 
of  the  last  time  he  had  shown  it  to  her,  and  the 
scene  it  recalled  at  the  churchyard  stile,  when  Mal- 
colm had  begged  for  the  tip  of  a  curl  to  carry  with 
him  always  as  a  talisman;  as  a  token  that  he  was 
really  her  knight,  as  he  had  been  in  the  princess 


194   LITTLE    COLONEL'S   CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

play,  and  that  he  would  come  to  her  on  some  glad 
morrow. 

"  He'll  have  a  pocket  full  of  such  talismans  by 
the  time  he's  through  college,"  she  thought,  recall- 
ing the  kodak  pictures  she  had  just  seen.  "  I'm 
mighty  glad  that  I  didn't  give  him  one." 

Over  at  The  Beeches,  Elise  and  her  little  friends 
had  arranged  to  give  a  Christmas  play,  so  promptly 
at  the  hour  agreed  upon  the  party  "  progressed  " 
in  Mrs.  Walton's  wake.  There  they  found  the 
third  royal  welcome,  and  the  gayest  of  entertain- 
ments. It  had  been  an  exciting  day  for  all  of  them, 
and,  as  Kitty  expressed  it,  they  were  all  wound 
up  like  alarm-clocks.  They  would  go  off  pretty  soon 
with  a  br-r-r  and  a  bang,  and  then  run  down. 

The  play  passed  off  without  a  hitch  in  the  per- 
formance, and  ended  in  a  blaze  of  spangles  and  red 
light,  when  the  fairy  queen,  trailing  off  the  stage, 
went  through  the  audience  showering  on  her  guests 
Christmas  roses,  supposed  to  have  been  called  to 
life  by  her  magic  wand,  and  distributed  as  souvenirs 
of  her  skill. 

Then  somebody  came  up  to  Gay  with  her  violin. 
With  Allison  to  play  her  accompaniments,  she  chose 
her  sweetest  pieces,  and  threw  her  whole  soul  into 
the  rendering  of  them.  She  was  so  grateful  to  these 


A   PROGRESSIVE   CHRISTMAS  PARTY        195 

dear  people  who  had  taken  her  in  like  one  of  them- 
selves, and  given  her  such  a  happy,  happy  holiday- 
time  that  she  did  her  best,  and  Gay's  best  on  the 
violin  was  a  treat  even  to  the  musical  critics  in  the 
company.  Kitty  was  so  proud  of  her  she  could 
not  help  expressing  her  pleasure  aloud,  much  to 
Gay's  embarrassment.  To  hide  her  confusion,  she 
started  a  merry  jig  tune,  so  rollicking  and  irresist- 
ible that  hands  and  feet  all  through  the  rooms  began 
to  pat  the  time.  Keith  seized  his  Aunt  Allison 
around  the  waist  and  waltzed  her  out  into  the  floor. 

"  Come  on,  everybody !  "  he  cried. 

Lloyd  was  standing  in  the  doorway,  talking  to 
Doctor  Shelby,  the  white-haired  physician  of  the 
village,  one  of  her  oldest  and  dearest  friends. 

"  Go  on,  Miss  Holly-berry,"  he  said.  "  If  I 
wasn't  such  a  stiff  old  graybeard,  I'd  be  at  it  myself. 
There's  Ranald  wanting  to  ask  you." 

Lloyd  waltzed  off  with  Ranald,  as  light  on  her 
feet  as  a  bit  of  thistle-down,  and  the  old  doctor's 
eyes  followed  her  fondly. 

"  She's  like  Amanthis,"  he  said  to  himself. 
"  And  she  will  grow  more  like  her  as  the  years  go 
by,  so  spirited  and  high-strung.  But  they'll  have 
to  watch  her,  or  she'll  wear  herself  out." 

Presently  he  missed  the  flash  of  the  scarlet  dress, 


196  LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

in  and  out  among  the  others,  and  he  did  not  see  it 
again  until  the  music  had  stopped  and  the  revel  was 
ending  with  the  chimes,  rung  softly  on  the  Bells 
of  Luzon.  As  he  stepped  back  to  allow  several 
guests  to  pass  him  on  the  way  up  to  the  dressing- 
room,  he  caught  sight  of  Lloyd  in  an  alcove  in  the 
back  hall.  She  was  attempting  to  draw  a  glass  of 
ice-water  from  the  cooler.  Her  hands  shook,  and 
her  face  was  so  pale  that  it  startled  him.  "  What's 
the  matter,  child?"  he  exclaimed. 

"  Nothing,"  she  answered,  trying  to  force  a  little 
laugh.  "  It's  just  that  I  felt  for  a  minute  as  if  I 
might  faint.  I  nevah  did,  you  know.  I  reckon  it's 
as  Kitty  said.  We've  been  wound  up  all  day,  and 
we've  run  so  hah'd  we've  about  run  down,  and  we 
have  to  stop  whethah  we  want  to  or  not." 

He  looked  at  her  keenly  and  began  counting  her 
pulse.  "  You  are  not  to  get  wound  up  this  way 
any  more  this  winter,  young  lady,"  he  said,  sternly. 
"  Go  straight  home  and  go  to  bed,  and  stay  there 
until  day  after  to-morrow.  The  rest  cure  is  what 
you  need." 

"And  miss  Katie  Mallard's  pah'ty?"  she  cried. 
"  Why,  I  couldn't  do  it  even  for  you,  you  bad  old 
ogah." 

She  made  a  saucy  mouth  at  him,  and  then,  with 


A   PROGRESSIVE   CHRISTMAS  PARTY         H)? 

her  most  winning  smile,  held  out  her  hand  to  say 
good  night,  for  the  guests  were  beginning  to  take 
their  departure.  "  Please,  Mistah  M^-Doctah,"  — 
it  was  the  pet  name  she  had  given  him  years  ago 
when  she  used  to  ride  on  his  shoulder,  —  "  please 
don't  go  to  putting  any  notions  into  Papa  Jack's 
head  or  mothah's.  I'm  just  ti'ahed.  That's  all. 
I'll  be  all  right  in  the  mawning." 

"  Come,  Lloyd,"  called  Mrs.  Sherman.  "  We're 
ready  to  start  now."  She  saw  with  a  sigh  of  relief 
that  her  mother  was  bringing  her  coat  toward  her, 
so  she  would  not  have  to  climb  the  stairs  for  it. 
She  was  tired,  dreadfully  tired,  she  admitted  to 
herself.  But  it  had  been  such  a  happy  day  it  was 
worth  the  fatigue. 

As  she  drove  homeward  in  the  sleigh,  she  slipped 
her  hand  out  of  her  muff,  and  turned  it  in  the  moon- 
light to  watch  the  sparkle  of  the  new  ring.  She 
wondered  if  the  two  girls  who  had  worn  it  in  turn 
before  her  had  had  half  as  happy  a  fifteenth  Christ^ 
mas  as  she. 


CHAPTER   X. 

THE  DUNGEON    OF   DISAPPOINTMENT 

IT  was  nearly  noon  when  Lloyd  wakened  next 
morning.  Her  head  ached,  and  she  wondered  dully 
how  anybody  could  feel  lively  enough  to  sing  as 
Aunt  Cindy  was  doing,  somewhere  back  in  the 
servants'  quarters.  The  sound  of  a  squeaking 
wheelbarrow  had  wakened  her.  Alec  was  trundling 
it  around  the  house,  with  the  parrot  perched  on  it. 
The  parrot  loved  to  ride,  and  its  silly  laugh  at  every 
jolt  of  the  squeaking  barrow  usually  amused  Lloyd, 
but  to-day  its  harsh  chatter  annoyed  her. 

"  Oh,  deah !  "  she  groaned,  sitting  up  in  bed  and 
yawning.  "  I  feel  as  if  I  could  sleep  for  a  week. 
I  wouldn't  get  up  at  all  if  it  wasn't  for  Katie  Mal- 
lard's pah'ty.  I  hate  this  day-aftah-Christmas  feel- 
ing, as  if  the  bottom  had  dropped  out  of  every- 
thing." 

She    dressed    slowly    and     went     down-stairs. 

"  Where's  mothah,  Mom  Beck  ?  "  she  asked,  paus- 
198 


THE  DUNGEON  OF  DISAPPOINTMENT      1QQ 

ing  in  the  dining-room  door.  The  old  coloured 
woman  was  arranging  flowers  for  the  lunch-table. 

"  She's  done  gone  ovah  to  Rollington,  honey, 
with  the  old  Cun'l.  Walkah's  mothah  is  sick,  and 
sent  for  'em.  I'm  lookin'  for  'em  to  come  home 
any  minute  now.  Come  right  along  in,  honey. 
I've  kep'  yoah  breakfus'  good  and  hot." 

"  I  don't  want  anything  to  eat.  I'm  not  hungry 
now.  I'd  rathah  wait  till  lunch.  Where's  Betty, 
Mom  Beck?" 

"  Now  listen  to  that !  "  ejaculated  the  old  woman, 
sharply.  "  Don't  you  remembah  ?  She  went  off 
on  the  early  train  this  mawning  to  that  place  you 
all  calls  the  Cuckoo's  Nest.  I  packed  her  satchel 
befoah  daylight." 

"  I  had  forgotten  she  was  going,"  exclaimed 
Lloyd,  turning  to  the  window  with  a  discontented 
expression,  which  only  the  snowbirds  on  the  lawn 
could  see.  She  had  come  down-stairs  expecting  to 
talk  over  all  the  happenings  of  the  previous  day 
with  Betty,  and  to  find  her  gone  gave  her  a  vague 
sense  of  injury.  She  knew  the  feeling  was  unrea- 
sonable, but  she  could  not  shake  it  off. 

The  flash  of  the  new  ring  gave  her  a  momentary 
pleasure,  but  she  was  in  a  mood  that  nothing  could 
please  her  long.  When  she  strolled  into  the  draw- 


200  LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

ing-room,  everything  was  in  spotless  order,  and 
so  quiet  that  the  stillness  was  oppressive.  Even 
the  fire  burned  with  a  steady,  noiseless  glow,  with- 
out the  usual  crackle,  and  the  ashes  fell  on  the 
hearth  with  velvety  softness. 

Some  of  her  new  books  lay  on  a  side  table.  She 
picked  them  up  and  glanced  through  them,  catch- 
ing at  a  paragraph  here  and  there.  But  one  after 
another  she  laid  them  down.  She  was  not  in  a 
mood  for  reading.  Then  she  took  a  candied  date 
from  the  bonbon  dish,  but  it  seemed  to  lack  its 
usual  flavour.  After  nibbling  each  end,  she  threw 
it  into  the  fire.  Slipping  her  new  opera-glass  from 
its  case,  she  went  to  the  window  and  turned  the 
lens  on  the  distant  entrance  gate.  The  road  in  each 
direction  seemed  deserted.  So  she  put  the  glass 
back  in  its  case,  and,  after  strolling  restlessly  around 
the  room,  walked  over  to  the  harp  and  struck  a 
few  chords. 

"It's  all  out  of  tune!"  she  exclaimed,  fretfully, 
thrumming  the  faulty  string  with  impatient  fingers. 
"  Everything  seems  out  of  tune  this  mawning!  " 

As  she  spoke,  the  string  broke  with  a  sudden 
harsh  twang  that  made  her  jump.  She  was  so 
startled  that  the  tears  came  to  her  eyes,  and  so  nerv- 
ous that  she  flung  herself  face  downward  on  the 


THE  DUNGEON  OF  DISAPPOINTMENT      2OI 

pillows  of  the  long  Persian  divan,  and  began  sob- 
bing hysterically.  The  strain  of  the  last  few  weeks 
had  been  too  much  for  her.  Miss  Gilmer's  proph- 
ecy had  come  true.  The  ice  had  given  away  under 
the  extra  weight  put  upon  it 

She  was  sobbing  so  hard  that  she  did  not  hear 
the  sound  of  carriage  wheels  rolling  softly  up  the 
avenue  through  the  snow,  and  when  the  front  door 
banged  shut  she  started  again,  and  began  trerri' 
bling  as  she  had  done  when  the  harp-string  broke. 
She  was  crying  convulsively  now,  so  hard  that  she 
could  not  stop,  although  she  clenched  her  fists  and 
bit  her  lips  in  a  strong  effort  to  regain  self- 
control. 

Mrs.  Sherman,  her  face  all  aglow  from  the  cold 
drive,  and  looking  almost  girlishly  fair  in  her  big 
hat  with  the  plumes,  and  her  dark  furs,  hurried  in 
to  the  fire.  The  Colonel,  throwing  back  his  scarlet 
lined  cape,  pushed  aside  the  portiere  for  her  to  enter. 
He  was  the  first  to  catch  sight  of  the  shaking  form 
on  the  divan. 

"Why,  Lloyd,  child,  what's  the  matter?"  he 
demanded,  anxiously.  "  What's  the  matter  with 
grandpa's  little  girl  ?  " 

Mrs.  Sherman,  with  a  frightened  expression,  hur- 
ried to  her,  and,  bending  over  her,  tried  to  get  a 


2O2  LITTLE  COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

glimpse  of  the  tear-swollen  face  buried  so  persist- 
ently in  the  cushions. 

"  Nothing's  happened !  No,  I'm  not  sick,"  came 
in  smothered  tones  from  the  depths  of  the  pillows. 
"  It's  j-just  crying  itself,  and  I  —  I  —  I  c-can't 
stop-p-p ! " 

A  long  shiver  passed  over  her,  and  Mrs.  Sher- 
man, stroking  her  forehead  with  a  soothing  hand, 
waited  for  her  to  grow  quiet  before  plying  her 
with  questions.  But  the  old  Colonel  paced  impa- 
tiently back  and  forth. 

"  The  child  must  be  sick,"  he  declared.  "  She'll 
be  coming  down  with  a  fever  or  something  if  we 
don't  take  vigorous  measures  to  prevent  it.  I  shall 
telephone  for  Dick  Shelby  this  minute." 

He  started  toward  the  hall,  but  a  wild  wail  from 
Lloyd  stopped  him. 

"  I  won't  have  the  doctah !  I'm  not  sick,  and 
you  sha'n't  send  for  him!  I  j-just  cried  because 
the  harp-string  b-broke  so  suddenly  that  it  s-scared 
me!" 

The  Colonel  paused  and  looked  at  her  in  amaze- 
ment. Not  since  the  time  when  she,  a  five-year-old 
child,  had  flung  a  handful  of  mud  over  his  white 
clothes  had  she  spoken  to  him  in  such  a  defiant  tone. 
He  answered  soothingly,  as  if  she  were  still  that 


THE  DUNGEON  OF  DISAPPOINTMENT      20$ 

little  child,  to  be  coaxed  into  good  behaviour.  "  Oh, 
yes,  you  won't  mind  the  doctor's  coming  if  grandpa 
wants  him  to.  He'll  keep  you  from  getting  down 
sick,  and  spoiling  all  the  rest  of  your  vacation.  I'll 
just  ask  him  to  step  up  and  look  at  you." 

"No,  don't!"  demanded  Lloyd,  as  he  started 
again  toward  the  hall.  "  No,  you  sha'n't !  "  she  in- 
sisted, springing  up  and  stamping  her  foot.  "  I 
won't  have  the  old  doctah,  and  I  won't  take  any 
of  his  nasty  old  medicine!  He'll  make  me  stay 
home  from  Katie's  pah'ty  this  aftahnoon  and  from 
the  matinee  to-morrow  —  and  there's  nothing  the 
mattah,  only  I'm  cross  and  nervous,  and  the  moah 
you  bothah  me  the  hah'dah  it  is  to  stop  crying!  " 

Then  ashamed  of  her  petulant  outburst,  she  threw 
her  arms  around  his  neck,  and  sobbed  on  his  shoul- 
der. In  the  end  she  had  her  own  way,  for  the  glass 
of  hot  milk  which  her  mother  sent  for,  as  soon 
as  she  found  Lloyd  had  eaten  no  breakfast,  soothed 
her  overstrung  nerves.  A  brisk  walk  to  the  post- 
office  in  the  bracing  December  air  gave  her  an  appe- 
tite for  luncheon.  Then  she  slept  again  until  time 
to  dress  for  Katie's  party,  so  that  when  the  old 
Colonel  watched  her  start  off,  she  looked  so  bright 
and  was  in  such  buoyant  spirits  that  he  wondered 
vaguely  if  her  crying  spell  could  have  been  the 


204     LITTLE   COLONEL'S   CHRISTMAS    VACATION 

remnant  of  some  childish  tantrum  instead  of  the 
forerunner  of  an  illness. 

He  banished  the  thought  instantly  from  his  loyal 
old  heart,  ashamed  of  having  applied  such  a  word 
as  tantrum  to  anything  Lloyd  might  choose  to  do. 
Of  course  she  had  felt  ill,  he  told  himself.  So 
wretched  that  she  hadn't  known  what  she  was  say- 
ing when  she  stormed  at  him  so  angrily.  He  re- 
solved to  watch  her  closely,  and  take  matters  in  his 
own  hands  if  she  showed  any  more  alarming  symp- 
toms. 

There  was  a  matinee  next  day  in  Louisville,  to 
which  Mrs.  Sherman  took  all  the  girls  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood. That  was  the  end  of  the  Christmas 
gaieties  for  Lloyd.  Doctor  Shelby  was  at  Locust 
on  her  return.  He  came  out  of  the  old  Colonel's 
den,  where  he  had  been  sitting  for  several  hours, 
deep  in  a  game  of  chess,  and  found  her  shivering 
in  front  of  the  fire  with  a  nervous  chill,  sobbing 
hysterically. 

She  stormed  at  him  almost  as  she  had  done  at 
her  grandfather,  protesting  that  she  was  only  tired 
and  nervous,  and  that  she  would  be  all  right  as  soon 
as  she  had  had  her  cry  out.  But  she  submitted 
meekly  when  he  ordered  her  mother  to  put  her  to 
bed.  The  old  doctor  had  always  indulged  her,  but 


THE  DUNGEON  OF  DISAPPOINTMENT       2O5 

there  was  a  sternness  in  his  manner  now  that  made 
her  obey  him. 

He  called  to  see  her  the  next  day,  and  the  next. 
But  his  visits  did  not  seem  like  professional  ones. 
There  was  nothing  said  about  medicine  or  symp- 
toms. He  only  asked  her  about  school  and  the  good 
times  she  had  been  having,  and  the  extra  studying 
she  had  been  doing.  Then  he  sat  and  joked  and 
talked  with  her  and  her  mother,  as  had  been  his 
habit  ever  since  Lloyd  could  remember.  The  third 
afternoon  she  was  down  in  the  drawing-room  when 
he  came. 

"  We'll  soon  be  having  Miss  Holly-berry  back 
again,"  he  said,  playfully  pinching  her  pale  cheek. 

"  And  without  taking  any  nasty  old  medicine," 
she  answered.  "  I  don't  mind  doctahs  when  they 
can  cure  people  without  giving  them  pills  and  pow- 
dahs." 

The  Colonel  looked  up  sharply.  "  What's  that  ?  " 
he  asked.  "  Haven't  you  been  giving  her  anything, 
Dick?  It  seems  to  me  the  child  would  get  along 
faster  if  she  had  a  good  tonic." 

"  I  am  going  to  prescribe  one  this  morning,"  the 
doctor  answered.  "  That's  what  I  came  up  for." 
He  laughed  at  the  look  of  disgust  on  Lloyd's 
face. 


2O6  LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

"  It  isn't  bad,"  he  assured  her,  with  an  indulgent 
smile.  "  Why,  I  know  dozens  of  girls  who  would 
say  that  the  tonic  I  am  going  to  prescribe  is  the 
most  agreeable  that  could  be  given.  I've  even  had 
them  beg  for  it.  This  is  it,  simply  to  lengthen  your 
Christmas  vacation.  Didn't  I  hear  a  certain  young 
lady  wishing  the  other  night  that  she  could  stretch 
hers  out  indefinitely  ?  " 

Lloyd's  dimples  deepened.  "  How  much  longah 
will  you  make  it?  A  week?  If  I  stay  out  much 
longah  than  that,  it  will  be  such  hah'd  work  to 
catch  up  with  my  classes  that  the  game  won't  be 
worth  the  candle." 

"  But  I  would  make  it  so  long  that  there  would 
be  no  necessity  of  having1  to  catch  up,  as  you  call 
it.  You  could  simply  make  a  fresh  start  in  a  new 
class." 

Lloyd  looked  up  in  alarm.  "When?"  she  de- 
manded. 

"  Um  —  well,  next  fall,  let  us  say,"  he  answered, 
deliberately.  "  Yes,  surely  by  that  time  you'll  be 
well  and  sound  as  a  new  dollar." 

"  Next  fall !  "  she  gasped,  her  face  growing  white 
and  her  eyes  strangely  big  and  dark.  "  You  don't 
mean  —  you  couldn't  mean  that  I  must  leave 
school." 


THE  DUNGEON  OF  DISAPPOINTMENT      2O? 

"  Yes,  that's  exactly  what  I  mean.  You  are  over- 
taxing yourself  and  must  stop  — 

"  Oh,  I  can't !  "  interrupted  Lloyd,  speaking  very 
fast.  "  I  won't!  It's  cruel  to  ask  it  when  I've 
worked  so  hard  to  keep  from  falling  behind  Betty 
and  the  girls.  Oh,  you  don't  know  what  it  means 
to  me!" 

The  old  doctor  looked  up  in  amazement  at  this 
unexpected  outburst. 

"  No,"  he  answered,  slowly,  after  a  moment's 
silence.  "  I  don't  suppose  I  do.  I  had  no  idea  it 
would  be  a  disappointment  to  you.  I  would  gladly 
save  you  from  it  if  I  could.  But  listen  to  me,  my 
little  girl,  and  try  to  be  reasonable.  You  are  on  the 
verge  of  a  nervous  breakdown.  Nothing  can  mean 
as  much  to  you  as  your  health.  What  will  keeping 
up  with  the  other  girls  amount  to  if  the  strain  and 
the  overtaxing  makes  an  invalid  of  you  for  life,  per- 
haps? 

"  Mind  you,  I  am  not  saying  that  the  work  itself 
is  too  great  a  tax.  Madam  Chartley's  is  one  of  the 
best  regulated  schools  I  have  ever  inquired  into. 
Ordinarily  a  girl  ought  to  be  able  to  take  the  course 
with  perfect  ease.  But  you  see  that  little  spell  of 
la  grippe  left  you  weak  and  unfit  for  any  extra 
strain,  and,  instead  of  easing  up  a  bit,  you  went 


208   LITTLE   COLONEVS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

on  piling  on  all  that  extra  load  of  lessons  and  Christ- 
mas preparations  and  vacation  dissipations.  It  was 
like  trying  to  walk  on  a  broken  foot.  The  more 
you  tried,  the  worse  it  got.  The  mischief  is  done 
now,  and  there  is  no  remedy  but  to  stop  short  off." 

Lloyd  sat  very  still  for  a  moment,  staring  out 
of  the  window  in  a  dazed,  unseeing  way,  as  if  not 
fully  understanding  all  he  said.  Then  she  turned 
with  a  piteous  appeal  in  her  face  to  Mrs.  Sherman. 

"  Mothah,  it  isn't  so,  is  it?  I  won't  have  to  give 
up  school  now!  You  wouldn't  make  me,  would 
you,  when  you  know  how  I  love  it?  Oh,  it  will 
neahly  kill  me  if  you  do!  Please  say  no,  mothah! 
Please! " 

Mrs.  Sherman's  eyes  were  full  of  tears.  "  My 
poor  little  girl,"  she  exclaimed  as  Lloyd  threw  her- 
self into  her  arms.  "  I'm  afraid  we  must  do  as 
the  doctor  says.  He  would  not  ask  such  a  sacri- 
fice if  it  were  not  necessary.  You  know  how  dearly 
he  has  always  loved  you." 

Without  waiting  to  hear  any  more,  Lloyd  sprang 
up  and  ran  out  of  the  room.  Rushing  up-stairs, 
she  bolted  her  door  behind  her,  and  threw  herself 
across  the  bed. 

"  It  is  the  first  great  disappointment  she  has  ever 
had  in  her  life,"  said  her  mother,  looking  after  her 


THE  DUNGEON  OP  DISAPPOINTMENT      2OQ 

with  a  troubled  face.  "  Couldn't  you  make  the 
sentence  a  little  easier,  doctor?  Couldn't  she  go 
back  and  take  one  study,  just  to  be  with  the  girls  ?  " 

He  shook  his  head.  "  No,  Elizabeth.  She  is  too 
ambitious  and  high-strung  for  that.  One  study 
wouldn't  satisfy  her.  She'd  chafe  at  not  being  able 
to  keep  up  in  everything.  She  has  nothing  serious 
the  matter  with  her  now,  but  it  would  not  take  long 
to  make  a  wreck  of  her  health  at  the  gait  she  has 
been  going.  There  must  be  no  more  parties,  no 
more  regular  school  work,  and  even  no  more  music 
lessons  this  winter.  She  must  have  the  simplest 
kind  of  a  life.  Keep  her  out-of-doors  all  you  can. 
A  little  prevention  now  will  be  worth  pounds  of 
cure  after  awhile." 

"  I  suppose  you  are  right,  Dick,"  said  the  old 
Colonel,  huskily,  "  but  I  swear  I'd  give  the  only 
arm  the  Yankees  left  me  to  save  her  from  this  dis- 
appointment." 

Lying  across  the  bed  up-stairs,  Lloyd  cried  and 
sobbed  until  she  was  exhausted.  The  handkerchief 
clutched  in  her  hand  in  a  damp  little  ball  had  wiped 
away  the  bitterest  tears  she  had  ever  shed.  In  her 
inmost  heart  she  knew  that  the  doctor  was  right. 
It  had  been  weeks  since  she  had  felt  strong  and  well. 
She  remembered  the  way  she  had  lagged  behind 


2IO   LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

at  the  picnic,  and  what  an  effort  it  had  been  to  talk 
and  make  herself  agreeable  lately.  Recalling  the 
last  few  weeks,  it  seemed  to  her  that  she  had  been 
in  tears  half  the  time.  She  admitted  to  herself 
that  she  would  rather  be  dead  than  to  be  an  invalid 
for  life  like  her  great-aunt  Jane.  To  sit  always  in 
a  darkened  room  that  smelled  of  camphor,  and  to 
talk  in  a  weak,  complaining  voice  that  made  every- 
body tired.  Of  course  if  there  was  danger  of  her 
growing  to  be  like  her,  she  would  rather  leave  school 
than  run  such  a  risk.  But  why,  oh,  why  was  she 
forced  to  make  such  a  choice?  The  other  girls 
didn't  have  to.  She  had  done  no  more  than  they 
to  bring  about  such  a  state  of  affairs. 

They  could  go  back  to  dear  old  Warwick  Hall, 
but  she  would  have  to  stay  behind.  And  she  would 
always  be  behind,  for,  even  if  she  went  back  with 
them  another  year,  it  couldn't  be  the  same.  They 
would  have  done  so  much  in  the  meantime,  —  gone 
on  so  far  ahead,  made  new  friends  and  found  new 
interests,  and  she  would  have  to  drop  back  in  the 
class  below,  and  never,  never  stand  on  the  same 
footing  with  them  again.  It  was  so  hard,  so  cruel, 
that  she  should  have  to  face  a  blighted  life  at  only 
fifteen. 

She  unlocked  the  door  presently  at  her  mother's 


THE  DUNGEON  OF  DISAPPOINTMENT      211 

knock,  but  she  didn't  want  to  be  comforted.  Noth- 
ing anybody  could  say  could  change  things,  she 
sobbed,  or  make  the  disappointment  any  easier  to 
bear.  So  Mrs.  Sherman  wisely  withdrew,  and  left 
her  to  fight  it  out  alone. 

The  next  time  she  peeped  into  the  room,  Lloyd 
was  asleep,  worn  out  with  the  violence  of  her  grief, 
so  she  tiptoed  down-stairs,  leaving  the  door  ajar 
behind  her.  The  Colonel  was  pacing  up  and  down 
the  library. 

"  I  declare  I  can't  think  of  anything  but  that 
child's  disappointment !  "  he  exclaimed,  as  she  came 
in.  "  I  can't  read !  I  can't  settle  down  to  anything. 
I  have  been  trying  to  think  of  some  pleasure  we 
could  give  her  to  make  up  for  it  in  a  way.  A  winter 
in  Florida,  maybe.  Poor  baby !  if  I  could  only  bear 
it  for  her,  how  glad  I  would  be  to  do  it !  " 

Mrs.  Sherman  picked  up  a  bit  of  needlework  from 
the  table  where  she  had  left  it,  and,  sitting  down 
by  the  window,  began  to  hemstitch. 

"  I  don't  know,  papa,"  she  said,  slowly,  "  but 
I'm  beginning  to  fear  that  we  have  done  too  much 
of  that  for  Lloyd ;  smoothed  the  difficulties  out  of 
her  way  too  much ;  made  things  too  easy.  We've 
fairly  held  our  arms  around  her  to  shield  her  not 
only  from  harmful  things,  but  from  even  trifling 


212   LITTLE   COLONEUS   CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

unpleasantness.  Maybe  if  she  had  had  to  face  the 
smaller  disappointments  that  most  children  have 
to  bear,  the  greater  ones  would  not  seem  so  over- 
whelming. She  could  have  met  this  more  bravely." 

The  Colonel  sniffed  impatiently.  "  All  foolish- 
ness, Elizabeth !  All  foolishness !  That  may  be  the 
case  with  ordinary  children,  but  not  with  such  a 
sweet,  unspoiled  nature  as  Lloyd's." 

It  was  nearly  dark  when  Lloyd  wakened.  She 
heard  Kitty's  voice  down  in  the  hall,  asking  to  see 
her,  and  Gay's  exclamation  of  surprise  and  regret 
at  something  her  mother  said  in  a  low  voice.  She 
knew  that  she  was  telling  them  the  doctor's  decision. 
Then  Mom  Beck  tapped  at  the  door  to  ask  if  she 
would  see  the  girls  awhile,  but  she  sent  her  away 
with  a  mournful  shake  of  the  head.  She  was  too 
miserable  even  to  speak. 

The  low  murmur  of  voices  went  on  for  some 
time.  It  grew  loud  enough  for  her  to  distinguish 
the  words  when  the  girls  came  out  into  the  hall 
again  to  take  their  departure.  Lloyd  raised  herself 
on  her  elbow  to  listen.  Kitty  was  telling  something 
that  had  happened  that  afternoon  at  the  candy-pull 
from  which  they  were  just  returning.  A  wan  smile 
flitted  across  Lloyd's  face,  in  sympathy  with  the 
merry  laugh  that  floated  up  the  stairs.  But  it  faded 


THE  DUNGEON  OF  DISAPPOINTMENT       213 

the  next  instant  as  she  whispered,  bitterly :  "  That's 
the  way  it  will  always  be.  They  will  go  on  having 
good  times  without  me,  and  they'll  get  so  they'll 
nevah  even  miss  me.  I'll  be  left  out  of  everything. 
There's  nothing  left  to  look  forward  to  any  moah. 
Oh,  it's  all  so  dah'k  and  gloomy  —  I  know  now  how 
Ederyn  felt,  for  I'm  just  like  he  was,  walled  up  in 
a  dreadful  Dungeon  of  Disappointment." 

The  fancy  pleased  her  so  that  she  went  on  making 
herself  miserable  with  it  long  after  the  door  closed 
behind  Kitty  and  Gay.  Over  and  over  she  pictured 
Warwick  Hall,  which  just  then  seemed  the  most 
desirable  place  in  all  the  world.  She  could  see  the 
shining  river,  as  she  had  watched  it  so  many  times 
from  her  window,  flowing  past  the  stately  terraces 
between  its  willow-fringed  banks.  She  could  hear 
the  breezy  summons  of  the  hunter's  horn,  calling 
the  girls  to  rambles  over  the  wooded  hills  or  through 
the  quaint  old  garden.  She  could  see  the  sun  stream- 
ing into  the  south  windows  of  the  English  room, 
with  the  class  gathered  around  Miss  Chilton,  eager 
and  interested.  All  the  dear,  delightful  round  of 
inspiring  work  and  play  would  go  on  day  after  day 
for  the  others,  but  it  would  go  on  without  her. 
Henceforth  she  would  be  left  out  of  everything 
pleasant  and  worth  while. 


214   LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

She  would  not  go  down  to  dinner.  She  could 
not  take  such  a  puffed,  tear-swollen  face  to  the 
table  to  make  everybody  else  unhappy,  and  she 
couldn't  throw  off  her  despondent  mood.  Maybe 
in  a  few  days,  she  thought,  she  might  be  able  to  hide 
her  feelings  sufficiently  to  appear  in  public,  but  it 
would  always  be  with  a  secret  sorrow  gnawing  at 
her  heart.  Just  now  she  shrank  from  sympathy, 
and  she  didn't  want  any  one  to  cheer  her  up.  It 
did  not  seem  possible  that  she  could  ever  smile 
again,  and  she  wasn't  sure  that  she  wanted  to. 

Mom  Beck  brought  up  the  daintiest  of  dinners 
on  a  tray,  but  carried  it  back  almost  untasted.  As 
soon  as  she  was  gone,  Lloyd  undressed  and  crept 
into  bed. 

Sleep  was  far  from  her,  however,  and  she  lay 
with  her  eyes  wide  open.  The  room  was  full  of  soft 
shadows  and  the  flicker  of  firelight  on  the  furniture. 
She  could  think  of  only  one  thing,  and  she  brooded 
over  that  until  it  seemed  to  her  feverish,  disordered 
fancy  that  her  disappointment  was  the  greatest  that 
any  one  had  ever  been  forced  to  bear. 

"  Why  couldn't  it  have  happened  to  some  girl 
who  didn't  care?"  she  thought,  bitterly.  "Some  girl 
like  Maud  Minor,  who  doesn't  like  school,  anyhow. 
It  doesn't  seem  fair  when  I've  tried  my  best  to 


THE  DUNGEON  OF  DISAPPOINTMENT      21$ 

do  exactly  right,  to  leave  a  road  of  the  loving  hah't 
in  everybody's  memory,  to  keep  the  tryst  —  " 

That  thought  brought  a  fresh  reason  for  grief. 
There  was  the  string  of  pearls.  Now  she  could 
not  finish  her  little  white  rosary.  The  fire  flared  up 
and  shone  brilliantly  for  a  few  moments,  lighting 
a  group  of  pictures  over  her  bed.  They  were  the 
photographs  she  had  taken  in  Arizona.  There  was 
Ware's  Wigwam.  The  firelight  was  not  bright 
enough  to  enable  her  to  read  the  lines  Joyce  had 
written  under  it,  but  she  knew  the  inscription  was 
the  Ware  family's  motto,  taken  from  the  "  Vicar 
of  Wakefield  " :  "  Let  us  be  inflexible,  and  fortune 
will  at  last  change  in  our  favour."  A  shadow  of 
a  smile  actually  came  to  her  lips  as  she  remembered 
Mary  Ware  gravely  explaining  it. 

"  Why,  even  Norman  knows  that  if  you'll  swal- 
low your  sobs  and  stiffen  when  you  bump  your 
head  or  anything,  it  doesn't  hurt  half  as  bad  as 
if  you  just  let  loose  and  howl." 

And  there  was  the  photograph  of  old  Camelback 
Mountain,  bringing  back  the  story  of  Shapur,  left 
helpless  on  the  sands  of  the  Desert  of  Waiting, 
while  the  caravan  passed  on  without  him  to  the  City 
of  his  Desire.  She  remembered  that  when  she  hung 
it  over  her  bed  she  had  thought,  "  If  ever  /  come 


216   LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

to  such  a  place,  this  will  help  me  to  bear  it  pa- 
tiently." 

Then  she  thought  of  Joyce,  how  bravely  and  un- 
complainingly she  had  met  her  disappointment. 
Not  only  had  she  left  school  and  given  up  her 
ambition  to  be  an  artist,  but  she  had  had  to  give 
up  the  old  home  she  loved,  all  her  friends,  and 
everything  that  made  her  girlhood  bright,  to  go 
out  into  the  lonely  desert  and  work  like  a  squaw. 

The  thought  of  Joyce  brought  back  all  the  les- 
sons she  had  learned  in  the  School  of  the  Bees. 
But  she  sighed  presently :  "  Oh,  deah,  all  those 
things  sounded  so  nice  and  comforting  when  they 
seemed  meant  for  othah  people.  They  don't  seem 
so  comforting  now  that  I'm  in  trouble  myself.  It's 
like  the  poultice  Aunt  Cindy  made  for  Walkah's 
toothache.  She  was  disgusted  because  he  didn't 
stop  complaining  right  away,  and  said  it  ought  to 
have  cured  him  if  it  didn't.  But  it  wasn't  such  a 
powahful  remedy  when  she  had  the  toothache  her- 
self. She  grumbled  moah  than  Walkah.  It's  all 
well  enough  to  say  that  I'll  seal  up  my  troubles  as 
the  bees  seal  up  the  things  that  get  into  the  cells 
to  spoil  their  honey,  but  now  the  time  is  heah,  I 
simply  can't!  " 

Nevertheless,  what  the  School  of  the  Bees  taught 


THE  DUNGEON  OF  DISAPPOINTMENT       21? 

did  help.  So  did  the  sight  of  the  patient  old  Camel- 
back  Mountain,  that  had  inspired  the  legend  of 
Shapur.  And  more  than  all  the  little  group  in  front 
of  the  Wigwam  helped,  as  she  remembered  how 
bravely  they  had  met  their  troubles. 

One  by  one  her  happy  Arizona  days  came  back 
to  her.  After  all,  it  was  something  to  have  lived 
fifteen  beautiful  years  untouched  by  trouble.  She 
was  thankful  for  that  much,  even  if  the  future  held 
nothing  more  for  her.  If  she  couldn't  be  happy, 
she  could  at  least  take  Mary's  advice  and  "  not  let 
loose  and  howl  "  about  it  any  more.  If  she  couldn't 
be  bright  and  cheerful,  she  could  "  swallow  her 
sobs  and  stiffen."  With  the  resolution  to  try  Mary's 
remedy  for  her  woes  in  the  morning,  she  lay  drow- 
sily watching  the  firelight  flicker  across  the  picture 
of  the  Wigwam. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

IN   THE  ATTIC 

IF  the  sun  had  been  shining  next  morning,  it 
would  have  been  easier  for  Lloyd  to  keep  her  reso- 
lution, and  face  '  the  family  bravely  at  breakfast. 
But  the  rain  was  pouring  against  the  windows ; 
a  slow,  monotonous  rain  that  ran  in  little  rivers 
over  the  lawn,  melting  the  snow,  and  turning  the 
white  landscape  into  a  dreary  scene  of  mud  and 
bare  branches. 

Twice  on  the  way  down-stairs  she  paused,  think- 
ing that  she  could  not  possibly  sit  through  the  meal 
without  crying,  and  that  it  would  be  better  to  go 
back  and  breakfast  alone  in  her  room  than  to  be 
a  damper  on  the  spirits  of  the  family.  Even  so 
slight  a  thing  as  the  tone  of  sympathy  in  her  grand- 
father's "  good  morning "  made  the  tears  spring 
to  her  eyes,  but  she  winked  them  back,  and  answered 
almost  cheerfully  his  question  as  to  how  she  felt. 

"  Oh,  just  like  the  weathah,  grandfathah.     All 

gray  and  drippy;   but  I'll  cleah  up  aftah  awhile." 
218 


IN  THE  ATTIC  2IQ 

She  could  not  smile  as  she  said  it,  but  the  effort 
she  made  to  be  cheerful  made  the  next  attempt  eas- 
ier, and  presently  she  acknowledged  to  herself  that 
Mary  was  right.  It  did  help,  to  swallow  one's  sobs. 

After  breakfast  she  stood  at  the  window,  watch- 
ing her  father  drive  away  to  the  station  in  the  rain. 
As  the  carriage  disappeared  and  there  was  nothing 
more  to  watch,  she  wondered  dully  how  she  could 
spend  the  long  morning. 

"  Some  one  wants  you  at  the  telephone,  Lloyd," 
called  the  Colonel,  on  his  way  to  his  den. 

"  Oh,  good !  I  hope  it  is  Kitty,"  she  exclaimed, 
anticipating  a  long  visit  over  the  wire. 

But  it  was  Malcolm  Maclntyre  who  had  rung 
her  up,  to  bid  her  good-bye.  He  and  Keith  were 
about  to  start  home.  They  had  intended  to  go  up 
to  Locust,  he  told  her,  for  a  short  call  before  train 
time,  but  it  was  raining  too  hard.  Would  she  please 
make  their  adieus  to  her  mother  and  the  rest  of  the 
family.  He  had  heard  that  she  was  not  going  back 
to  school.  Was  it  true?  She  was  in  luck.  No? 
She  was  disappointed?  Well,  that  was  too  bad. 
He  was  awfully  sorry.  But  she  mustn't  worry  over 
missing  a  few  months  of  school.  It  wouldn't 
amount  to  much  in  the  long  run.  For  his  part, 
if  he  were  a  girl  and  didn't  have  to  fit  himself  for 


220  LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

a  profession,  he  would  be  glad  to  have  such  a  post- 
script added  to  his  Christmas  vacation.  He'd  no- 
ticed that  usually  the  postscript  to  a  girl's  letter 
had  more  in  it  than  the  letter  itself.  Possibly  it 
would  be  that  way  with  her  vacation.  He  hoped  so. 

Although  it  was  in  the  most  cordial  tone  that 
he  expressed  his  regret  at  her  disappointment,  and 
bade  Princess  Winsome  good-bye  until  the  "  good 
old  summer-time,"  it  was  with  a  vague  feeling  of 
disappointment  that  Lloyd  hung  up  the  receiver 
and  turned  away  from  the  telephone. 

"  He  doesn't  undahstand  at  all !  "  she  thought. 
"  He  hasn't  the  faintest  idea  how  much  it  means 
to  me  to  give  up  school.  He  thinks  that,  because 
I'm  a  girl,  I  haven't  any  ambition,  and  that  it  doesn't 
hurt  me  as  it  would  him.  Maybe  it  wouldn't  have 
sounded  quite  the  same  if  I  could  have  seen  him 
say  it,  but  ovah  the  telephone,  somehow  —  although 
he  was  mighty  nice  and  polite  —  it  sounded  sawt 
of  patronizing." 

She  went  into  the  library  to  deliver  Malcolm's 
farewell  messages  to  her  mother.  "  He  seems  so 
much  moah  grown  up  this  time  than  he  evah  has 
befoah,"  she  added.  "  I  don't  like  him  half  as  much 
that  way  as  the  way  he  used  to  be." 

Mrs.  Sherman  was  busy  about  the  house  all  morn- 


ONE    OF    THE    BOYS    HAD    DARED   HIM    TO    CARRY    IT 


IN  THE  ATTIC  221 

ing,  so  Lloyd  found  entertainment  following  her 
from  room  to  room,  as  she  inspected  the  linen  closet, 
superintended  the  weekly  cleaning  of  the  pantry, 
and  rearranged  some  of  the  library  shelves  to  make 
room  for  the  Christmas  books.  But  in  the  after- 
noon she  had  a  number  of  letters  to  write,  acknowl- 
edging the  gifts  which  had  been  sent  her  by  distant 
friends,  and  Lloyd  was  left  to  her  own  amusement. 

The  doctor  did  not  want  her  to  read  long  at  a 
time.  The  rain  was  pouring  too  hard  for  her  to 
venture  out-of-doors,  and  about  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon  the  silence  and  loneliness  of  the  big  house 
seemed  more  than  she  could  endure. 

"  I  could  scream,  I'm  so  nervous  and  ti'ahed  of 
being  by  myself,"  she  exclaimed.  "  If  just  a  piece 
of  a  day  is  so  hah'd  to  drag  through  as  this  has 
been,  how  can  I  stand  all  the  rest  of  the  wintah  ?  " 

She  was  counting  up  the  weeks  ahead  of  her  on 
the  big  library  calendar,  when,  through  the  window, 
she  caught  sight  of  Rob  coming  toward  the  house. 
The  rain  was  running  in  streams  from  the  bottom 
of  his  mackintosh,  and  from  a  huge  umbrella  that 
spread  over  him  like  a  tent.  It  was  an  enormous 
advertising  umbrella,  taken  from  one  of  the  deliv- 
ery wagons  at  the  store.  One  of  the  boys  had 
dared  him  to  carry  it.  "Groceries,  Dry  Goods, 


222   LITTLE   COLONEDS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

Boots  and  "  appeared  in  black  letters  on  the  yellow 
side  turned  toward  Lloyd.  "  Shoes.  Jayne's  Em- 
porium," she  called,  supplying  the  rest  of  the  famil- 
iar advertisement  from  memory. 

"  What  on  earth  are  you  doing  with  that  wagon- 
top  ovah  you?"  she  asked  from  the  front  door, 
where  she  stood  watching  his  approach.  He  was 
striding  along  whistling  as  cheerily  as  if  it  were 
a  midsummer  day.  He  looked  up  and  smiled  in 
response  to  her  call,  and  twirled  the  umbrella  till 
the  rain-drops  flew  in  every  direction  in  a  fine  spray. 
Lloyd  felt  as  if  the  sun  had  suddenly  come  out  from 
behind  the  clouds.  0 

"  I've  come  to  finish  my  Christmas  hunt,"  he  said, 
as  he  stepped  up  on  the  porch  and  shook  himself 
like  a  great  water-spaniel. 

"Oh,"  cried  Lloyd,  "I  intended  to  ask  Betty 
befoah  she  went  away  where  she  had  hidden  yoah 
present,  and  she  left  next  mawning  so  early  that 
I  was  still  asleep.  Maybe  mothah  knows." 

But  Mrs.  Sherman,  busy  with  her  letters,  shook 
her  head.  "  I  haven't  the  faintest  idea,"  she  an- 
swered. "  But  I  remember  she  said  something 
about  Rob's  being  the  hardest  one  of  all  to  find, 
so  you'll  probably  be  kept  busy  the  rest  of  the  day. 
Don't  you  children  bother  either  Mom  Beck  or 


IN  THE  ATTIC  22$ 

Cindy  to  help  you  hunt,"  she  called  after  them. 
"  They  have  all  they  can  attend  to  to-day." 

"  Let's  see  that  verse  again,  Rob,"  said  Lloyd,  as 
they  went  out  of  the  library  into  the  drawing-room. 
He  fumbled  in  several  pockets  and  finally  produced 
the  card. 

"  I  know  a  bank  where  the  wild  thyme  grows. 

Unseen  it  lies,  unsung  by  bard. 
Something  keeps  watch  there,  no  man  knows, 
And  over  your  gift  it's  standing  guard." 

As  on  Christmas  Day,  the  only  bank  the  verse 
suggested  was  in  the  conservatory,  a  long,  narrow 
ledge  of  ferns  and  maidenhair,  green  with  over- 
hanging vines  and  graceful  fronds.  For  nearly 
half  an  hour  they  poked  around  in  it,  lifting  the 
ferns  from  the  warm,  moist  earth  to  see  if  any- 
thing lay  hidden  at  their  roots.  It  was  like  April 
in  the  conservatory,  steamy  and  warm,  and  the 
fragrance  of  hyacinths  and  white  violets  made  it 
a  delightful  place  in  which  to  linger. 

"  Bank — bank-—  "  repeated  Lloyd,  puzzling  over 
the  verse  again,  when  they  had  given  up  the  search 
in  the  conservatory  and  gone  back  to  the  drawing- 
room.  "  It  might  mean  a  savings-bank,  but  there 
hasn't  been  one  in  the  house  since  that  little  red 
tin  one  of  mine  that  you  dropped  into  the  well  with 


224   LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

my  three  precious  dimes  in  it.  I've  felt  all  these 
yeahs  that  you  owed  me  thirty  cents." 

"  Now,  Lloyd  Sherman,  there's  no  use  in  bring- 
ing up  that  old  quarrel  again,"  he  laughed.  "  You 
know  we  were  playing  that  robbers  were  coming, 
and  we  had  to  lower  our  gold  and  jewels  into  the 
well,  and  you  tied  the  fishing-line  around  the  bank 
your  own  self.  So  I  am  not  to  blame  if  the  knot 
came  untied  at  the  very  first  jerk.  We've  wasted 
enough  breath  arguing  that  point  to  start  a  small 
cyclone." 

They  laughed  again  over  the  recollection  of  their 
old  quarrel,  then  Rob  read  the  verse  once  more. 
Presently  he  stopped  drumming  on  the  table  with 
his  thumbs,  and  said,  slowly,  as  if  trying  to  recall 
something  long  forgotten :  "  Don't  you  remember, 
—  it  seems  ages  before  we  dropped  your  red  bank 
in  the  well,  —  that  I  had  a  remarkable  penny  sav- 
ings-bank ?  It  was  some  sort  of  a  slot  machine  in 
the  shape  of  a  little  iron  dog.  Daddy  brought  it  to 
me  from  New  York.  There  was  some  kind  of  an 
indicator  on  the  side  of  it  that  looked  like  the  face 
of  a  watch.  That  was  my  introduction  to  puns, 
for  Daddy  said  it  was  a  watch  dog,  made  to  guard 
my  pennies.  Surely  you  haven't  forgotten  old 
Watch,  for  after  the  indicator  was  broken  I  brought 


IN   THE  ATTIC  23$ 

the  safe  over  here,  and  we  kept  it  on  the  door-mat 
in  front  of  your  playhouse,  to  guard  the  prem- 
ises." 

"  I  should  say  I  do  remembah !  "  answered  Lloyd. 
"  Probably  it's  up  in  the  attic  now.  But  what  has 
that  to  do  with  the  rhyme?" 

"  Don't  you  see  ?  That  must  be  the  '  bank  ' 
where  the  wild  thyme  grows.  I  don't  know  whether 
Betty  refers  to  the  wild  time  we  used  to  have  play- 
ing in  the  attic,  or  the  wild  time  that  the  watch 
kept.  But  I'm  certain  that  that  is  the  bank  she 
means." 

"  Come  on,  then,"  cried  Lloyd.  "  Let's  go  up 
to  the  attic  and  hunt  for  it.  I  haven't  been  up  there 
for  ovah  a  yeah." 

Rob  led  the  way  to  the  upper  hall,  and  then  up 
the  attic  stairs,  taking  the  steep  steps  two  at  a  time 
in  long  leaps. 

"That  isn't  the  way  you  used  to  climb  these 
stairs,"  laughed  Lloyd.  "  Don't  you  know  you 
had  to  weah  little  long-sleeved  aprons  when  you 
came  ovah  to  play  with  me,  to  keep  yoahself  clean  ? 
You  always  stepped  on  the  front  of  them  and  stum- 
bled going  up  these  steps." 

A  headless  and  tailless  hobby-horse  of  Rob's,  on 
which  they  had  ridden  many  imaginary  miles,  stood 


226   LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

in  one  corner,  and  he  crossed  over  to  examine  it, 
with  an  amused  smile. 

"  It  certainly  didn't  take  much  to  amuse  us  in 
those  days,"  he  said,  touching  the  rockers  with  his 
foot,  and  starting  the  disabled  beast  to  bobbing 
back  and  forth.  "  How  long  has  it  been  since  we 
used  to  ride  this  thing?  Is  my  hair  white?  I  de- 
clare I  never  had  anything  make  me  feel  so  ancient 
as  the  sight  of  this  old  hobby-horse.  I  feel  older 
tfian  grandfather." 

Lloyd  had  opened  a  dilapidated  hair-covered 
trunk,  and  was  bending  over  a  family  of  dolls 
stowed  away  inside.  "  Heah  is  old  Belinda !  "  she 
exclaimed.  "  And  Carrie  Belle  May,  and  Rosalie, 
the  Prairie  Flowah !  And,  oh,  Rob !  Look  at  poah 
Nelly  Ely,  all  wah-paint  and  feathahs,  just  as  you 
fixed  her  up  for  a  squaw  that  day  we  had  an  Indian 
massacre  in  the  grape  arbour.  I  had  forgotten  that 
we  left  her  in  such  a  fix ! " 

"I'll  never  forget  that  day,"  answered  Rob. 
"  Don't  you  remember  how  sore  I  made  my  arm, 
trying  to  tattoo  an  anchor  on  it  with  a  darning- 
needle  and  clothes  bluing?  What  else  have  you 
buried  in  that  old  trunk  ?  " 

Despite  his  six  feet  and  seventeen  years,  Rob 
dropped  down  on  a  roll  of  carpet  beside  the  trunk, 


IN  THE  ATTIC  22J 

and  watched  with  interest  as  Lloyd  lifted  out  one 
article  after  another  over  which  they  had  quarrelled, 
or  in  whose  pleasure  they  had  shared  in  what  now 
seemed  a  dim  and  far-away  playtime.  Don't  you 
remember  this?  Don't  you  remember  that?  they 
asked  each  other,  finding  so  many  things  to  laugh 
over  and  recall  that  they  quite  forgot  the  object 
of  their  search. 

Lloyd  was  sitting  with  her  back  against  the 
warm  chimney,  which  ran  up  through  the  middle 
of  the  attic,  but  presently  she  began  to  feel  chilly, 
and  sent  Rob  over  to  a  chest,  away  back  under  the 
eaves,  for  something  to  put  around  her.  It  was 
packed  full  of  old  finery  they  had  used  on  various 
occasions  for  tableaux  and  plays.  The  first  thing 
he  pulled  out  was  a  gorgeous  red  velvet  cloak  cov- 
ered with  spangles. 

"  That  will  do,"  she  said,  as  he  held  it  up  in- 
quiringly. "  It's  good  and  warm." 

He  pushed  the  chest  back  into  place.  Then, 
straightening  up,  his  glance  fell  on  the  discarded 
playhouse,  standing  back  in  a  dim  corner.  With 
a  whoop  he  pounced  upon  it. 

"  Here's  old  Watch !  "  he  exclaimed,  holding  up 
the  little  iron  dog.  "  And  he  is  the  bank  where  the 
wild  time  grows,  for  here  is  the  gift  he  is  standing 


228   LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

guard  over."  Throwing  the  spangled  cloak  over 
Lloyd's  shoulders,  he  seated  himself  again  on  the 
roll  of  carpet,  and  began  to  untie  the  little  package 
fastened  to  the  dog's  neck  with  a  bit  of  ribbon.  In- 
side many  layers  of  tissue-paper,  he  came  at  last 
to  a  memorandum-book,  small  enough  to  fit  in  his 
vest-pocket.  It  was  bound  in  soft  gray  kid,  and 
on  the  back  Betty  had  burned  in  old  English  let- 
ters, with  her  pyrography-needle,  the  motto  of 
Warwick  Hall :  "  I  keep  the  tryst."  Over  it  was 
the  crest,  a  heart,  out  of  which  rose  a  mailed  arm, 
grasping  a  spear. 

"  Betty  did  that,"  said  Lloyd.  "  She  traced  the 
letters  on  first  with  tracmg-papah,  and  then  burnt 
them.  I  remembah  now,  she  made  it  a  few  days 
befoah  we  came  home.  She  thought  we  would 
have  our  usual  tree,  and  she  intended  to  hang  this 
on  it  for  you.  Then  when  we  had  the  hunt  in- 
stead of  a  tree,  she  took  this  way  of  giving  it  to 
you.  That  is  an  appropriate  motto  for  a  memo- 
randum-book, isn't  it?  You'll  appreciate  it  moah 
when  she  tells  you  the  story  about  it.  Miss  Chilton 
read  it  to  the  English  class  one  day,  and  had  us 
write  it  from  memory  for  the  next  lesson." 

"  Then  what's  the  matter  with  your  telling  it 
to  me?"  asked  Rob,  eying  the  mailed  hand  and 


IN  THE  ATTIC  22<) 

the  spear  with  interest.  "  I'll  be  gone  before  Betty 
gets  back.  Go  on  and  tell  it.  This  is  an  ideal  time 
and  place  for  story-telling." 

He  leaned  comfortably  back  against  the  warm 
chimney  and  half-closed  his  eyes.  The  patter  of 
the  rain  on  the  roof  made  him  drowsy. 

"  Well,"  assented  Lloyd,  "  I  can't  tell  it  with 
as  many  frills  and  flourishes  as  Betty  could,  but 
I  remembah  it  bettah  than  most  stories,  because  I 
had  to  write  it  from  memory."  Drawing  the 
glittering  cloak  closer  around  her,  she  began  as 
if  she  were  reading  it,  in  the  very  words  of  the 
green  and  gold  volume: 

" '  Now  there  was  a  troubadour  in  the  kingdom 
of  Arthur,  who,  strolling  through  the  land  with  only 
his  minstrelsy  to  win  him  a  way,  found  in  every 
baron's  hall  and  cotter's  hut  a  ready  welcome/  " 

Here  and  there  she  stumbled  over  some  part  of 
it,  or  told  it  hesitatingly  in  her  own  words,  but 
at  last  she  ended  it  as  well  as  Betty  herself  could 
have  done: 

"  So  Ederyn  won  his  sovereign's  favour,  and, 
by  his  sovereign's  grace  permitted,  went  back  to 


230  LITTLE  COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

woo  the  maiden  and  win  her  for  his  bride.  Then 
henceforth  blazoned  on  his  shield  and  helmet  he 
bore  the  crest,  a  heart  with  hand  that  grasped  a 
spear,  and,  underneath,  the  words,  *  I  keep  the 
tryst* " 

"  That's  a  corking-  good  motto,"  said  Rob  as  she 
paused.  "  I  like  that  story,  Lloyd,  and  I'll  remem- 
ber it  when  I  keep  the  engagements  that  I  put  down 
in  this  little  book." 

He  sat  a  moment,  flipping  the  leaves  and  whis- 
tling a  bar  from  "  The  Old  Oaken  Bucket." 

"  Stop!  "  commanded  Lloyd,  suddenly,  clapping 
her  hands  over  her  ears,  and  making  a  wry  face. 
"  You're  off  the  key.  Haven't  I  told  you  a  thou- 
sand times  that  it  doesn't  go  that  way?  This 
is  it." 

Puckering  up  her  lips,  she  whistled  the  tune 
correctly,  and  he  joined  in.  At  the  end  of  the 
chorus  he  looked  at  his  watch!. 

"It's  been  like  old  times  this  afternoon,"  he 
said.  "  I'll  tell  you  what,  Lloyd,  let's  come  up 
here  once  a  year  after  this,  just  to  keep  tryst  with 
our  old  playtimes.  I'll  put  that  down  as  the  first 
engagement  in  my  memorandum-book.  A  year 
from  to-day  we'll  take  another  look  at  these  things." 


IN  THE  ATTIC  2$l 

"All  right,"  assented  Lloyd,  cheerfully.  Then 
a  wistful  expression  crept  into  her  eyes  as  she 
peered  through  the  tiny  attic  window.  Twilight 
was  falling  early  on  account  of  the  rain.  A  deep 
gloom  began  to  settle  over  her  spirits  also. 

"  Rob,"  she  said,  slowly,  "  I  haven't  told  you 
yet.  I  didn't  want  to  spoil  our  aftahnoon  by  think- 
ing about  it  any  moah  than  I  could  help,  and  you 
made  me  almost  forget  it  for  a  little  while.  I 
couldn't  talk  about  it  when  you  first  came  without 
crying,  —  this  yeah  is  going  to  be  such  a  long,  hah'd 
one.  They  aren't  going  to  let  me  go  back  to  school 
aftah  the  holidays.  The  doctah  says  I  am  not 
strong  enough,  and  it  is  such  an  awful  Dungeon 
of  Disappointment  that  it  just  breaks  my  hah't  to 
think  about  it." 

To  Rob's  consternation  she  laid  her  head  down 
on  old  Belinda,  who  still  lay  limply  across  her  lap, 
and  began  to  sob.  He  sat  in  embarrassed  silence 
for  a  moment,  scarcely  knowing  her  for  the  same 
little  companion  whom  he  had  taught  to  meet  hurts 
like  a  boy.  He  remembered  the  many  times  she 
had  winked  back  the  tears  over  the  bruises  and 
bumps  and  cuts  she  had  encountered  in  following 
his  lead.  He  was  bewildered  by  the  unfamiliar 
mood,  and  it  hurt  him  to  see  her  so  grieved. 


232  LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

"  There !  there !  Don't  cry,  Lloyd !  "  he  begged, 
hurt  by  the  sight  of  the  fair  head  bowed  so  dis- 
mally over  the  old  doll.  "  I  know  how  it  would 
knock  me  out  to  have  to  stop  now,  just  when  I've 
got  into  the  swing  of  things,  so  I  know  just  how 
you  feel.  I'm  mighty  sorry." 

Then,  as  the  sobs  continued :  "  I'd  go  off  and 
whip  somebody  if  it  would  do  any  good,  but  it 
won't.  You'll  have  to  brace  up  as  Ederyn  did,  and 
you'll  get  out  of  your  dungeon  all  right." 

There  was  no  answer.  School  was  so  very  dear, 
and  the  disappointment  so  very  bitter.  It  had  all 
surged  over  her  again  in  a  great  wave.  He  tried 
again. 

"  It's  tough,  I  know,  but  it  will  be  easier  if  you 
take  it  as  all  the  Lloyds  have  taken  their  troubles, 
with  your  teeth  set  and  your  head  up.  Somehow, 
that's  the  way  I've  always  thought  you  would  take 
things.  Don't  cry,  Lloyd.  Don't!  It  breaks  me 
all  up  to  see  you  this  way,  when  you've  always  been 
so  game." 

She  straightened  up  and  wiped  her  eyes,  announc- 
ing- suddenly :  "  And  I'm  going  to  be  game  now. 
If  there's  one  thing  I  nevah  could  beah,  it  was  for 
you  to  think  I  was  a  coward,  and  I  can't  have  you 
1  thinking  it  now.  It's  a  sawt  of  tryst  I've  kept  all 


IN  THE   ATTIC  2$$ 

these  yeahs,  unconsciously,  I  suppose.  Ever  since 
I  was  a  little  thing,  if  I  thought  '  Bobby  expects  it 
of  me,'  I'd  do  it,  no  mattah  what  it  was,  from  jump- 
ing a  fence  to  climbing  on  the  chimney.  I've  lived 
up  to  yoah  expectations  many  a  time  at  the  risk 
of  killing  myself." 

"  Indeed  you  have,"  he  answered,  in  a  tone  of 
hearty  admiration.  There  was  a  tender  light  in 
his  gray  eyes  which  she  did  not  see,  she  was  so 
busy  wiping  her  own. 

"  I'm  done  crying  now,"  she  announced,  spring- 
ing to  her  feet  and  thrusting  Belinda  back  into  the 
trunk.  "  Come  on,  let's  go  down  and  pop  some 
cawn  ovah  the  library  fiah.  Put  this  cloak  away 
first." 

He  pushed  the  chest  back  to  its  place  under  the 
eaves  and  started  after  her,  pulling  out  his  hand- 
kerchief as  he  went,  to  wipe  away  a  stray  cobweb 
into  which  he  had  thrust  his  hand.  It  reminded  him 
of  the  story. 

"  You  know,"  he  suggested',  consolingly,  "  there's 
bound  to  be  some  way  out  of  your  dungeon.  I'll 
spend  all  the  rest  of  the  vacation  helping  you  twist 
cobwebs  for  your  rope,  if  you  like." 

She  made  no  answer  then  to  his  offer  of  assist- 
ance. She  felt  that  she  could  not  steady  her  voice 


234  LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

if  she  tried  to  speak  her  appreciation  of  his  sym- 
pathy. 

So  she  called  out,  as  she  dashed  past  him :  "As 
Joyce  used  to  say  at  the  house  pah'ty,  '  the  last  one 
down  is  a  jibbering  Ornithorhynchus ! ' ' 

Away  they  went  in  a  mad  race,  whose  noisy 
clatter  made  it  seem  to  the  old  Colonel  in  his  den 
that  the  rafters  were  falling  in.  But  on  the  land- 
ing she  paused  an  instant. 

"  It  —  it  helps  a  lot,  Rob,"  she  said,  wistfully, 
"  to  have  you  undahstand,  —  to  know  that  you 
know  how  it  hurts." 

"  I  wish  I  could  really  help  you,"  he  answered, 
earnestly.  "  You're  a  game  little  chum !  " 

She  flashed  back  a  grateful  smile  from  under  her 
wet  eyelashes,  and  led  the  race  on  down  the  next 
flight  of  stairs. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

HUMDRUM    DAYS 

ALL  through  the  rest  of  that  week,  and  through 
New  Year's  Day,  Lloyd  managed  to  keep  her  reso- 
lution bravely.  Even  when  the  time  came  for  the 
girls  to  go  back  to  school  without  her,  she  went 
through  the  farewells  like  a  little  Spartan,  driving 
down  to  the  station  with  tearful  Betty,  who  grieved 
over  Lloyd's  disappointment  as  if  it  had  been  her 
own. 

When  the  train  pulled  out,  with  the  four  girls 
on  the  rear  platform,  she  stood  waving  her  hand- 
kerchief cheerily  as  long  as  she  could  see  an  an- 
swering flutter.  Then  she  turned  away,  catching 
her  breath  in  a  deep  indrawn  sob,  that  might  have 
been  followed  by  others  if  Rob  had  not  been  with 
her.  He  saw  her  clench  her  hands  and  set  her 
teeth  together  hard,  and  knew  what  a  fight  she  was 
making  to  choke  back  the  tears,  but  he  wisely  gave 
no  sign  that  he  saw  and  sympathized.  He  only 
235 


2$6  LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

proposed  a  walk  over  to  the  blacksmith  shop  to  see 
the  red  fox  that  Billy  Kerr  had  trapped  and  caged. 
But  a  little  later,  when  she  had  regained  her  self- 
control  and  was  poking  a  stick  between  the  slats 
of  the  coop  where  the  fox  was  confined,  to  make 
it  stretch  itself,  he  said,  suddenly : 

"  By  cricky,  you  were  game,  Lloyd !  If  it  had 
been  me,  I  couldn't  have  gone  to  the  station  and 
watched  the  fellows  go  off  without  me,  and  joke 
about  it  the  way  you  did." 

Lloyd  went  on  rattling  the  stick  between  the  slats 
and  made  no  answer,  but  Rob's  approval  brightened 
her  spirits  wonderfully.  It  was  not  until  the  next 
day,  when  he,  too,  went  back  to  school,  that  she 
fully  realized  how  lonely  her  winter  was  going  to 
be.  She  strolled  into  her  mother's  room,  and  threw 
herself  listlessly  into  a  chair  by  the  window. 

"  What  can  I  do,  mothah  ?  I  mustn't  read  long, 
I  mustn't  study,  Tarbaby  is  lame,  so  I  can't  ride, 
and  I've  walked  as  far  as  I  care  to  this  mawning." 

"  What  would  you  like  to  do?  "  asked  Mrs.  Sher- 
man, who  was  dressing  to  go  out. 

"  Nothing  but  things  that  I  can't  do,"  was  the 
fretful  answer.  "  It  would  be  lots  of  fun  if  I  could 
go  out  in  the  kitchen  and  beat  eggs,  and  make  cus- 
tah'd  pies  and  biscuits  and  things.  I'd  love  to  cook. 


HUMDRUM  DAYS  237 

I  haven't  had  a  chance  since  I  was  at  Ware's  Wig- 
wam. But  Aunt  Cindy  scolds  and  grumbles  if  any- 
body so  much  as  looks  into  the  kitchen.  She  says 
she  won't  have  me  messing  around  in  her  way." 

"  I  know,"  sighed  Mrs.  Sherman.  "  Cindy  is 
getting  more  fussy  and  exacting  every  year.  But 
she  has  cooked  for  the  family  so  long  that  she  seems 
to  think  the  kitchen  is  hers.  If  she  were  not  such 
a  superior  cook,  I  wouldn't  put  up  with  her  whims, 
but  in  these  days,  when  everybody  is  having  so 
much  trouble  with  servants,  we'll  have  to  humour 
her.  She's  a  faithful  old  creature.  You  might  cook 
on  the  chafing-dish  in  the  dining-room.  There  are 
all  sorts  of  things  you  could  make  on  that." 

Lloyd  shrugged  her  shoulders  impatiently.  "  But 
not  bread  and  pies  and  things  you  do  with  a  rolling- 
pin.  That's  the  pah't  I  like." 

She  sat  a  moment,  swinging  her  foot  in  silence, 
and  then  broke  out: 

"  If  I  were  a  girl  in  a  story-book,  this  disappoint- 
ment would  turn  me  into  such  a  saintly,  helpful 
creatuah  that  I'd  be  called  "The  Angel  of  the 
Home.'  I've  read  about  such  girls.  They  keep 
things  in  ordah,  and  mend  and  dust  and  put  flowahs 
about,  and  make  the  house  so  bright  and  cheerful 
that  people  wondah  how  they  evah  got  along  with- 


238   LITTLE  COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

out  them.  Every  time  they  turn  around,  there  are 
lovely,  helpful  things  for  them  to  do.  But  what 
can  /  do  in  a  big  house  like  this  moah  than  I've 
always  tried  to  do?  I've  tried  to  be  considerate  of 
everybody's  comfo't  evah  since  I  stah'ted  out  to 
build  a  road  of  the  loving  hah't  in  everybody's 
memory.  The  servants  do  everything  heah,  ancl 
don't  want  to  be  interfered  with.  I  wish  we  were 
dead  poah,  and  lived  in  a  plain  little  cottage  and 
did  our  own  work.  Then  I  wouldn't  have  time 
to  get  lonesome.  I'd  be  lots  happiah. 

"  One  day,  when  Miss  Gilmer  and  I  were  talking 
about  Ederyn  in  his  Dungeon  of  Disappointment, 
she  said  that  we  could  always  get  out  of  our  troubles 
the  same  way  that  he  did;  that  the  cobwebs  he 
twisted  into  ropes  were  disagreeable  to  touch.  No- 
body likes  to  put  their  hands  into  dusty  cobwebs, 
and  that  they  represent  the  disagreeable  little  tasks 
that  lie  in  wait  for  everybody.  She  said  that,  if 
we'll  just  grapple  the  things  that  we  dislike  most 
to  do,  the  little  homely  every-day  duties,  and  busy 
ourselves  with  them,  they'll  help  us  to  rise  above 
our  discontent.  I've  been  trying  all  mawning  to 
think  of  some  such  cobwebs  for  me  to  take  hold 
of,  and  there  isn't  a  single  one." 

Mrs.    Sherman   smiled    at    the   wobegone    face 


HUMDRUM  DAYS  239 

turned  toward  her.  "Fancy  any  one  being  mis- 
erable over  such  a  state  of  affairs  as  that ! "  she 
laughed.  "  Actually  complaining  because  there's 
nothing  disagreeable  for  her  to  do!  Well,  we'll 
have  to  look  for  some  cobwebs  to  occupy  you. 
Maybe  if  you  can't  find  them  at  home,  you  can 
do  like  the  old  woman  who  was  tossed  up  in  a 
basket,  seventy  times  as  high  as  the  moon.  Don't 
you  remember  how  Mom  Beck  used  to  sing  it  to 
you? 

«* « Old  woman !  Old  woman !   Old  woman,  said  I, 
O  whither,  O  whither,  O  whither  so  high? 
To  sweep  the  cobwebs  out  of  the  sfyr, 
But  I'll  be  back  again,  by  and  by.1" 

She  trilled  it  gaily  as  she  fastened  her  belt,  and 
took  out  her  hat  and  gloves. 

"  Fate  must  have  given  her  just  such  a  cobweb- 
less  home  as  you  have,  and  she  had  to  soar  high 
to  rise  above  her  troubles.  Come  on,  little  girl,  get 
your  hat  and  coat,  and  we'll  go  in  search  of  some- 
thing disagreeable  for  you  to  do;  but  I  hope  your 
quest  won't  take  you  seventy  times  as  high  as  the 
moon." 

They  drove  down  to  the  store  to  attend  to  the 
day's  marketing.  While  Mrs.  Sherman  was  order- 
ing her  groceries,  Lloyd  went  to  the  back  of  the 


240   LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS    VACATION 

store,  where  one  of  the  clerks  was  teaching  tricks 
to  a  bright  little  fox-terrier.  She  was  so  interested 
in  the  performance  that  she  did  not  know  when 
Miss  Allison  came  in,  or  how  long  she  and  her 
mother  stood  discussing  her. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Sherman,  "  she  has  been  brave 
about  it.  She  never  complained  but  once,  and  that 
to  me  this  morning.  But  we  know  how  unhappy 
she  is.  Jack  and  papa  worry  about  her  all  the  time. 
They  want  me  to  take  her  to  Florida.  They  think 
she  must  be  given  some  pleasure  that  will  compen- 
sate in  a  way  for  this  disappointment.  But  it  is  not 
at  all  convenient  for  me  to  leave  home  now,  and 
I  feel  that  for  her  own  good  she  should  learn  to 
meet  such  things  for  herself.  It  would  be  far  easier, 
I  acknowledge,  if  there  was  anything  at  home  to 
occupy  her,  but  I  cannot  allow  her  to  interfere  with 
Mom  Beck's  work,  or  Cindy's.  They  resent  her 
doing  anything."  She  repeated  the  conversation 
they  had  had  that  morning. 

"  Loan  her  to  me  for  the  rest  of  the  day,"  said 
Miss  Allison.  "  I  can  show  her  plenty  of  cobwebs, 
the  kind  she  is  pining  for." 

So  it  happened  that  a  little  later,  when  Miss 
Allison  crossed  the  road  to  the  post-office,  and 
started  up  the  path  toward  home,  Lloyd  was  with 


HUMDRUM  DAYS  24! 

her,  smiling  happily  over  the  prospect  of  spending 
the  day  with  the  patron  saint  of  all  the  Valley's 
merrymakings.  From  Lloyd's  earliest  recollection, 
Miss  Allison  had  been  the  life  of  every  party  and 
picnic  in  the  neighbourhood.  She  was  everybody's 
confidante.  Like  Shapur,  who  gathered  something 
from  the  heart  of  every  rose  to  fill  his  crystal  vase, 
so  she  had  distilled  from  all  these  disclosures  the 
precious  attar  of  sympathy,  whose  sweetness  won 
for  her  a  way,  and  gained  for  her  a  welcome,  wher- 
ever she  went. 

As  they  turned  in  at  the  gate,  Lloyd  looked  wist- 
fully across  at  The  Beeches,  and  her  eyes  filled  with 
tears.  Miss  Allison  slipped  her  arm  around  her 
and  drew  her  close  with  a  sympathetic  clasp,  as  they 
walked  around  the  circle  of  the  driveway  leading 
to  the  house. 

"  I  know  just  how  you  feel,  dear.  Like  the  little 
lame  boy  in  that  story  of  the  '  Pied  Piper  of  Hame- 
lin.'  Because  he  couldn't  keep  up  with  the  others 
when  they  followed  the  piper's  tune,  he  had  to  sit 
and  watch  them  dance  away  without  him,  and  dis- 
appear into  the  mountainside.  He  was  the  only 
child  left  in  the  whole  town  of  Hamelin.  It  is 
lonely  for  you,  I  know,  with  all  the  boys  and  girls 
of  your  own  age  away  at  school.  But  think  how 


242   LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

much  lonelier  Hamelin  would  have  been  without 
that  child.  You'll  find  out  that  old  people  can  play, 
too,  though,  if  you'll  take  a  hand  in  their  games. 
I  want  to  teach  you  one  after  awhile,  which  I  used 
to  enjoy  very  much,  and  still  take  pleasure  in." 

Miss  Allison  led  the  way  up-stairs  to  her  own 
room.  As  they  passed  the  door  leading  to  the  north 
wing,  Lloyd  exclaimed :  "  I'll  nevah  forget  that 
time,  the  night  of  the  Valentine  pah'ty,  when  Gin- 
gah  and  I  went  into  the  blue  room,  and  the  beah 
that  Malcolm  and  Keith  had  tied  to  the  bed-post 
rose  up  out  of  the  dah'k  and  frightened  us  neahly 
to  death." 

"  We  had  some  lively  times  that  winter  with 
Virginia  and  the  boys,"  answered  Miss  Allison. 
"  I  kept  a  record  of  some  of  their  sorriest  mishaps. 
Wait  a  minute  until  I  speak  to  the  housemaid,  and 
I'll  see  if  I  can  find  it." 

Miss  Allison  had  been  wondering  how  she  could 
best  entertain  Lloyd,  but  the  problem  was  solved 
when  she  found  the  journal,  in  which  she  had  writ- 
ten the  history  of  the  eventful  winter  when  her  sis- 
ter's little  daughter  Virginia  and  her  brother's  two 
boys  had  been  left  in  her  charge.  Lloyd  had  taken 
part  in  many  of  the  mischievous  adventures,  and  she 
sat  smiling  over  the  novelty  of  hearing  herself  de- 


HUMDRUM  DAYS  243 

scribed  with  all  the  imperious  ways,  naughty  tem- 
per, and  winning  charm  that  had  been  hers  at  the 
age  of  eight. 

"  It  is  like  looking  at  an  old  photograph  of  one- 
self," she  said,  after  awhile.  "  It  seems  so  strange 
to  be  one  of  the  characters  in  a  book,  and  listen  to 
stories  about  oneself." 

"  That  reminds  me  of  the  game  I  spoke  of,"  said 
Miss  Allison.  "  I  invented  it  when  I  was  about 
your  age.  I  had  just  read  '  Cranford,'  and  the  story 
of  life  in  that  simple  little  village  seemed  so  charm- 
ing to  me  that  I  wished  with  all  my  heart  I  could 
step  into  the  book  and  be  one  of  the  characters, 
and  meet  all  the  people  that  lived  between  its  covers. 
Then  I  heard  some  one  say  that  there  were  more 
interesting  happenings  and  queer  characters  in 
Lloydsboro  Valley  than  in  Cranford.  So  I  began 
to  look  around  for  them.  I  pretended  that  I  was 
the  heroine  of  a  book  called  '  Lloydsboro  Valley,' 
and  all  that  summer  I  looked  upon  the  people  I 
met  as  characters  in  the  same  story. 

"  It  happened  that  all  my  young  friends  were 
away  that  summer,  and  it  would  have  been  very 
lonely  but  for  my  new  game.  The  organist  went 
away,  and,  although  I  was  only  fifteen,  I  took  her 
place  and  played  the  little  cabinet  organ  we  used 


244   LITTLE   COLONEL'S   CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

then  in  church  and  Sunday  school.  That  threw  me 
much  with  the  older  people,  for  I  had  to  go  to 
choir-practice  to  play  the  organ,  and  also  attend 
the  missionary  teas.  Gradually  they  drew  me  into 
a  sewing-circle  that  was  in  existence  then,  and  a 
reading  club.  I  found  it  was  true  that  my  own 
little  village  really  had  far  more  interesting  people 
in  it  than  any  I  had  read  about,  and  I  learned  to 
love  all  the  dear,  cranky,  gossipy  old  characters  in 
it,  because  I  studied  them  so  closely  that  I  found 
how  good  at  heart  they  were  despite  their  peculiari- 
ties and  foibles. 

"  That's  what  I  want  you  to  do  this  winter, 
Lloyd.  Join  the  little  choir,  and  meet  with  the 
King's  Daughters,  and  learn  to  know  these  inter- 
esting neighbours  of  yours.  And,"  she  added,  smil- 
ing, "  I  promise  you  that  you'll  find  all  the  col> 
webs  you  need  to  help  haul  you  out  of  your  dun- 
geon." 

"  Oh,  Miss  Allison !  "  exclaimed  Lloyd,  looking 
horrified  at  the  thought.  "I  couldn't  sing  in  the 
choir  and  join  the  King's  Daughtahs  and  all  that. 
They're  all  at  least  twice  as  old  as  I  am,  and  some 
of  them  even  moah." 

"  Yes,  you  can,"  insisted  Miss  Allison.  "  We 
need  your  voice  in  the  choir,  and  you  need  the  new 


HUMDRUM  DAYS  245 

interest  these  things  would  bring  into  your  life.  So 
don't  say  no  until  after  you've  given  my  game  a 
trial.  The  King's  Daughters'  Circle  is  to  meet  here 
this  afternoon,  and  I  want  you  to  help  me.  I'm 
going  to  serve  hot  chocolate  and  wafers,  and,  as 
long  as  it  is  such  a  cold,  blowy  day,  I  believe  I'll 
add  some  nut  sandwiches  to  make  the  refreshments 
a  little  more  substantial." 

Privately,  Lloyd  looked  forward  to  the  afternoon 
as  something  stupid  which  she  must  face  cheerfully 
for  Miss  Allison's  sake,  but  she  found  her  interest 
aroused  with  the  first  arrival.  It  was  Libbie  Simms, 
whom  she  had  known  all  her  life,  in  a  way,  for  she 
could  scarcely  recall  a  Sabbath  when  she  had  not 
looked  across  at  the  dull,  homely  face  in  the  oppo- 
site pew,  and  pitied  her  because  of  her  queer  nose 
and  mouse-coloured  hair.  In  the  same  way  she  had 
known  Miss  McGill,  who  came  with  Libbie.  She 
had  simply  been  one  of  the  congregation  who  had 
claimed  her  attention  for  a  moment  each  week,  as 
she  minced  down  the  aisle  like  an  animated  rainbow. 
All  she  knew  about  Miss  McGill  was  that  she  usu- 
ally wore  so  many  shades  of  purple  and  pink  and 
blue  that  the  clashing  colours  set  one's  teeth  on 
edge. 

But  in  five  minutes  Lloyd  had  forgotten  their 


246   LITTLE    COLONELS   CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

peculiarities  of  feature  and  dress,  and  was  listening 
with  interest  to  their  account  of  a  call  they  had  just 
made  in  Rollington.  They  had  been  to  see  a  poor 
washerwoman  who  had  five  children  to  support. 
The  youngest,  a  baby  who  had  fits,  was  very  ill, 
about  to  die.  At  the  mention  of  Mrs.  Crisp,  Lloyd 
recalled  the  forlorn  little  woman  in  a  wispy  crepe 
veil,  who  had  enlisted  her  sympathy  to  such  an 
extent  one  Thanksgiving  Day  that  she  and  Betty 
had  walked  over  to  Rollington  from  the  Seminary 
to  carry  the  greater  part  of  the  turkey  and  fruit 
that  had  been  sent  them  in  their  box  of  Thanksgiv- 
ing goodies. 

There  was  so  little  poverty  in  the  Valley  that, 
when  any  real  case  of  suffering  was  discovered,  it 
was  taken  up  with  enthusiasm.  Lloyd  wondered 
how  she  could  have  thought  Libbie  Simms  so  hope- 
lessly ugly,  when  she  saw  her  face  light  up  with 
unselfish  interest  in  her  poor  neighbours,  and  heard 
her  suggestions  for  their  relief.  And  her  conscience 
pricked  her  for  making  fun  of  Miss  McGill's  taste 
when  she  saw  how  generous  she  was,  and  listened 
to  her  humourous  description  of  several  things  that 
had  happened  in  the  Valley.  She  was  certainly 
entertaining,  and  looked  at  life  through  spectacles 
as  rose-coloured  as  her  necktie. 


HUMDRUM  DAYS  2tf 

The  library  rilled  rapidly,  and  soon  a  score  of 
needles  were  at  work  on  the  flannel  garments  in- 
tended for  the  Crisp  family.  Lloyd,  on  a  stool 
between  Katherine  Marks  and  Mrs.  Walton,  sewed 
industriously,  interested  in  the  buzz  of  conversation 
all  around  her. 

"  This  is  not  malicious  gossip,"  explained  Mrs. 
Walton,  in  an  amused  undertone,  smiling  with 
Lloyd  and  Katherine  at  a  remark  which  uninten- 
tionally reached  their  ears.  "  But  in  a  little  com- 
munity like  this,  where  little  happens,  and  our  in- 
terests are  bound  so  closely  together,  the  smallest 
details  of  our  neighbours'  affairs  necessarily  enter- 
tain us.  It  is  interesting  to  know  that  Mr.  Rawles 
and  his  great-aunt  are  not  on  speaking  terms,  and 
it  is  positively  exciting  to  hear  that  Mr.  Wolf  and 
Mrs.  Cayne  quarrelled  over  the  leaflets  used  in 
Sunday  school,  and  that  she  told  him  to  his  face 
that  he  was  a  hypocrite  and  no  better  than  an  infidel. 
It  doesn't  make  us  love  these  good  people  any  the 
less  to  know  that  they  are  human  like  ourselves, 
and  have  their  tempers  and  their  spites  and  feuds. 
We  know  their  good  side,  too.  Wait  till  calamity 
or  sickness  touches  some  one  of  us,  and,  see  how 
kind  and  sympathetic  and  tender  they  all  are ;  every 
one  of  them." 


248   LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

"  You'll  hear  more  gossip  here  in  one  afternoon 
than  at  all  the  Cranford  tea-tables  put  together," 
said  Katherine  Marks.  "  But  it  is  a  mild  sort, 
like  the  kir\d  going  on  behind  us." 

Miss  McGill,  with  her  head  close  to  Abby  Car- 
ter's, was  saying :  "  Oh,  but,  my  dear,  he  gets  more 
suspicious  and  foxy  every  day  of  his  life.  I  don't 
see  how  Emma  Belle  puts  up  with  such  a  cranky 
old  father." 

"  I  know,"  responded  Abby.  "  They  say  he 
drives  the  cook  nearly  distracted,  going  into  the 
kitchen  every  day  and  lifting  the  lids  off  all  the 
pots  and  pans  to  smell  what's  cooking  for  dinner. 
Then  he  makes  a  fuss  if  it's  not  to  his  liking." 

"Yes,"  responded  Miss  McGill,  "but  that  isn't 
a  circumstance  to  some  of  his  ways.  I  ran  in  there 
last  night  a  few  minutes,  to  show  Emma  Belle  a 
pattern  she  wanted.  He  got  it  into  his  head  we 
were  hiding  something  from  him,  and  he  actually 
climbed  up  on  the  dining-room  table  and  peeped 
through  the  transom  at  us.  I  nearly  fainted  when 
I  happened  to  look  up  and  saw  that  old  monkey- 
like  face,  with  its  dense,  gloomy  whiskers,  looking 
down  at  me.  I  just  screamed  and  sat  jibbering  and 
pointing  at  the  transom.  I  couldn't  help  it.  He 
gave  me  such  a  turn,  I  didn't  get  over  it  all  night. 


"'I    NEARLY     FAINTED     WHEN     I    HAPPENED    TO    LOOK    UP  " 


HUMDRUM  DAYS  $4$ 

Emma  Belle  was  so  mortified  she  didn't  know  what 
to  do.  It  isn't  as  if  he  was  crazy.  He's  just  mean. 
That  girl  has  the  patience  of  a  saint." 

Before  the  afternoon  was  over,  Lloyd  decided 
that  Miss  Allison  was  right.  The  Valley  held  a 
number  of  interesting  characters,  whose  acquaint- 
ance was  well  worth  cultivating  if  she  wanted  to 
be  entertained.  Part  of  the  time,  while  the  needles 
were  flying,  Mrs.  Maclntyre  read  aloud.  Miss  Alli- 
son called  Lloyd  into  the  dining-room  when  it  was 
time  to  serve  the  refreshments. 

"  I'm  going  to  ask  a  favour  of  you,  dear,"  she 
said.  "  I  want  you  to  sing  for  us  presently.  No, 
wait  a  minute,"  she  added,  hurriedly,  as  Lloyd  drew 
back  with  an  exclamation  of  dismay.  "  Don't 
refuse  till  you  have  heard  why  I  ask  it.  It  is  on 
account  of  Agnes  Waring.  These  meetings  are 
the  great  social  events  of  the  winter  to  her.  She 
never  gets  to  go  anywhere  else  except  to  church. 
She's  passionately  fond  of  music,  and  I  always  make 
it  a  point  to  prepare  a  regular  programme  when 
the  Circle  meets  here.  But  all  my  musicians  failed 
me  this  time,  and  I  cannot  bear  to  disappoint  her. 
I  know  you  are  timid  about  singing  before  older 
people,  but  this  is  one  of  the  cobwebs  I  promised 
to  find  for  you.  It  will  be  disagreeable,  but  I  have 


2 SO  LITTLE   COL6MEDS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

a  good  reason  for  thinking  that  you  will  find  it 
the  first  strand  of  the  rope  that  is  to  lift  you  out 
of  your  dungeon.  I'll  tell  you  some  things  about 
Agnes  after  awhile  that  will  make  you  glad  you 
have  had  such  an  opportunity." 

When  Lloyd  went  back  to  the  library,  bearing 
a  pile  of  snowy  napkins,  she  stole  several  glances 
at  Agnes  Waring  in  her  journey  around  the  room 
to  distribute  them.  All  that  she  knew  of  her  was 
that  she  was  the  youngest  of  three  sisters  who 
sewed  for  their  living.  She  was  almost  as  slim  and 
girlish  in  figure  as  Lloyd,  although  she  was  nearly 
twice  as  old.  She  had  kept  the  timid,  shrinking 
manner  that  she  had  when  a  child.  That  and  her 
appealing  big  blue  eyes,  and  almost  babyish  com- 
plexion, made  her  seem  much  younger  than  she 
was.  It  was  a  sensitive,  refined  face  that  Lloyd 
kept  glancing  at,  one  that  would  have  been  re- 
markably pretty  had  it  not  been  so  sad. 

Lloyd  had  sung  in  public  several  times,  but  al- 
ways in  some  play,  when  the  costume  which  she 
wore  seemed  to  change  her  to  the  character  she 
personated.  That  made  it  easier.  It  was  one  of 
the  hardest  things  she  had  ever  done,  to  stand  up 
before  these  twenty  ladies  who  had  been  exchang- 
ing criticisms  so  freely  all  afternoon,  on  every  sub- 


HUMDR UM  DAYS  2$l 

ject  mentioned,  and  sing-  the  songs  which  Miss 
Allison  chose  for  her  from  the  Princess  play :  The 
Dove  Song,  with  its  high,  sweet  trills  of  "  Flutter 
and  fly,"  and  the  one  beginning: 

rt  My  godmother  bids  me  spin, 
That  my  heart  may  not  be  sad. 
Sing  and  spin  for  my  brother's  sake, 
And  the  spinning  makes  me  glad." 

It  was  with  a  very  red  face  that  she  slipped  into 
her  seat  after  it  was  over,  surprised  and  pleased 
by  the  applause  she  received.  They  were  all  so 
cordial  in  their  appreciation,  that  presently  she  was 
persuaded  into  doing  what  Miss  Allison  had  sug- 
gested. When  the  circle  broke  up  she  had  con- 
sented to  join  the  choir,  and  to  meet  with  them  the 
next  Friday  night,  when  they  went  to  the  Mallards' 
to  practise. 

The  carriage  came  for  her  soon  after  the  last 
guest  departed,  and  Miss  Allison  stepped  in  beside 
her  to  take  the  finished  garments  over  to  Rolling- 
ton.  It  was  the  quaintest  of  little  villages,  settled 
entirely  by  Irish  families.  Only  one  lone  street 
straggled  over  the  hill,  but  it  was  a  long  one  with 
little  whitewashed  cabins  and  cottages  thickly  set 
along  each  side.  Mrs.  Crisp's  was  the  first  one  on 
the  street,  after  they  left  the  Lloydsboro  pike.  It 


2$2   LITTLE   COLONELS   CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

was  clean,  but  not  half  so  large  or  comfortable  as 
the  negro  servants'  quarters  at  Locust. 

It  was  so  late  that  Miss  Allison  did  not  go  in, 
only  stopped  at  the  door  to  leave  the  bundle  and 
inquire  about  the  baby,  promising  to  come  again 
next  morning.  Lloyd  had  a  glimpse  of  the  two 
children  next  in  age  to  the  baby.  They  were  play- 
ing on  the  floor  with  a  doll  made  of  a  corn-cob 
wrapped  in  a  towel,  and  a  box  of  empty  spools. 

"  Just  think ! "  she  exclaimed  as  she  climbed 
into  the  carriage  again.  "  A  cawn-cob  doll !  And 
the  attic  at  home  is  full  of  toys  that  I  don't  care 
for!  I'm  going  to  pick  out  a  basketful  to-morrow 
and  bring  them  down  to  these  children.  And  did 
you  see  that  poah  little  Minnie  Crisp?  Only  eight 
yeahs  old,  and  doing  the  work  of  a  grown  woman. 
She  was  getting  suppah  while  her  mothah  tended 
to  the  sick  baby.  Oh,  I  wondah,"  she  cried,  her 
face  lighting  up  with  the  thought.  "  I  wondah  if 
Mrs.  Crisp  would  mind  if  I'd  come  down  to-mor- 
row and  cook  dinnah  for  them.  That's  what  I've 
been  crazy  to  do,  —  to  cook.  I  could  bring  eggs 
and  sugah  and  all  the  materials,  and  make  lemon  pie 
and  oystah  soup  and  potato  croquettes.  I  know 
how  to  make  lots  of  things.  Oh,  do  you  suppose 
she  would  be  offended?  " 


HUMDRUM  DAYS  2$3 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  responded  Miss  Allison, 
heartily.  "  She  is  a  very  sensible  little  woman 
who  is  nearly  worn  out  in  her  struggle  with  poverty 
and  sickness.  She  has  been  too  proud  and  brave 
to  accept  help  before,  when  she  was  able  to  stagger 
along  under  her  own  burden,  but  now  she  will 
be  very  grateful.  And  the  children  will  look  upon 
you  as  a  wonderful  mixture  of  Santa  Claus,  fairy 
godmother,  and  Aladdin's  lamp." 

Then  she  turned  to  peer  into  the  happy  face 
beside  her. 

"  Here  are  your  cobwebs !  "  she  exclaimed,  gaily. 
"  A  whole  skyful,  and  you  can  sweep  away  to  your 
heart's  content.  You  need  have  no  more  humdrum 
days  unless  you  choose." 

Lloyd  looked  back  at  the  cottage  where  four 
towheads  at  the  window  watched  the  departing 
carriage.  Then  with  a  smile  she  leaned  out  and 
waved  her  hand. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

IN   THE   FOOTSTEPS   OF   AMANTHIS 

LLOYD  hurried  down  the  road  to  the  post-office, 
her  cheeks  almost  as  red  as  her  coat  from  her  brisk 
walk  in  the  wintry  air.  It  was  too  cold  to  saunter, 
or  she  would  have  made  the  errand  last  as  long  as 
possible.  There  would  be  nothing  to  do  after  she 
had  called  for  the  mail.  The  day  before  she  had 
had  her  visit  to  Mrs.  Crisp  to  fill  the  morning.  It 
brought  a  pleasant  thrill  now  to  think  of  the  little 
woman's  gratitude  and  the  children's  pleasure  in 
the  dinner  she  had  cooked  in  the  clean  bare  kitchen. 
She  wished  she  could  go  every  day  and  repeat  the 
performance,  but  her  family  would  not  allow  it. 
They  said  it  was  just  as  injurious  for  her  to  waste 
her  strength  in  charity  as  it  was  in  study,  and  she 
must  be  more  temperate  in  her  enthusiasms. 

She  wished  that  Miss  Mattie  would  invite  her 
into  the  tiny  office  behind  the  rows  of  pigeonholes 
and  letter-boxes,  and  let  her  sit  by  the  window 
254 


IN  THE  FOOTSTEPS  OF  AM  AN  THIS         2$$ 

awhile.  Just  watching  people  pass  would  be  some 
amusement,  more  than  she  could  find  at  home. 

She  was  passing  the  Bisbee  place  as  she  made 
the  wish.  It  was  a  white  frame  house  standing 
near  the  road,  and  commanding  a  view  of  both 
station  and  store,  as  well  as  the  approach  to  the 
post-office.  To  her  surprise,  some  one  tapped  on 
the  pane  of  an  up-stairs  window.  Then  the  sash' 
flew  up,  and  Mrs.  Bisbee  called  in  her  thin,  flutter- 
ing voice:  "Lloyd!  Lloyd  Sherman!  If  you're 
going  to  the  post-office,  I  wish  you'd  ask  if  there 
is  anything  for  me.  I  don't  dare  set  foot  out-of- 
doors  this  cold  weather." 

Then,  fearful  of  draughts,  she  banged  the  win- 
dow down  without  waiting  for  a  reply.  Lloyd 
smiled  and  nodded,  glad  of  an  opportunity  to  be 
of  service.  As  she  hurried  on,  she  remembered 
that  Miss  Allison  had  spoken  of  this  gentle  little 
old  lady,  with  her  fluttering  voice  and  placid  smile, 
as  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  "  Cranfordy  " 
characters  in  the  Valley,  and  that,  while  she  never 
went  out  in  the  winter,  and  seldom  in  the  summer, 
except  to  church,  she  kept  such  a  sharp  eye  on  the 
neighbourhood  happenings  from  the  watch-tower 
of  her  window  that  Mrs.  Walton  laughingly  called 
it  the  "  Window  in  Thrums," 


2$6  LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

It  was  with  the  feeling  that  she  was  stepping 
into  a  story  that  Lloyd  opened  the  gate  five  min- 
utes later  and  started  up  the  path.  A  vigorous  tap- 
ping on  the  window  above,  and  a  beckoning  hand 
motioned  her  to  come  up-stairs.  Hesitating  an  in- 
stant on  the  porch,  she  opened  the  front  door  and 
stepped  into  the  hall. 

"  Do  come  up ! "  called  the  old  lady,  plaintively, 
from  the  head  of  the  stairs.  "  I've  been  wishing 
so  hard  for  company  that  I  believe  my  wishing 
must  have  drawn  you.  Now  that  daughter  is  mar- 
ried and  gone,  I  get  so  lonesome,  with  Mr.  Bisbee 
in  town  all  day,  that  I  often  find  myself  talking 
to  myself  just  for  the  sake  of  sociability.  Not  a 
soul  has  been  in  for  the  last  two  days,  and  usually 
I  have  callers  from  morning  till  night.  This  is  such 
a  good  dropping-in  place,  you  know.  So  central 
that  I  see  and  hear  everything." 

She  ushered  Lloyd  into  a  room  gay  with  big- 
flowered  chintz  curtains,  and  quaint  with  old-fash- 
ioned carved  furniture.  There  was  a  high  four- 
poster  bed  in  one  corner,  with  a  chintz  valance 
around  it,  and  pink  silk  quilled  into  the  tester.  The 
only  modern  thing  in  the  room  was  a  tiled  grate, 
piled  full  of  blazing  coals.  '  It  threw  out  such  a 
summer-like  heat  that  Lloyd  amost  gasped.  She 


IN  THE  FOOTSTEPS  OF  AMANTHIS         2$7 

was  glad  to  accept  Mrs.  Bisbee's  invitation  to  take 
off  her  coat  and  gloves.  She  moved  her  chair  back 
as  far  as  possible  into  the  bay-window. 

"  I  reckon  you  feel  it's  pretty  warm  in  here," 
said  Mrs.  Bisbee.  "  I  have  to  keep  it  that  way 
so  that  I  can  sit  over  here  against  the  window  with- 
out catching  cold.  I  couldn't  afford  to  miss  all 
that's  going  on  in  the  street.  It's  my  only  amuse- 
ment" 

She  drew  her  work-basket  toward  her  and  picked 
up  the  quilt  pieces  she  had  laid  down  when  she 
went  to  welcome  Lloyd.  She  was  making  a  silk 
quilt  of  the  tea-chest  pattern,  and  the  basket  was 
full  of  bright  silk  scraps  and  pieces  of  ribbon. 

"It's  like  a  panorama,  I  tell  Mr.  Bisbee.  Oh, 
by  the  way,  I've  been  aching  to  find  out.  Where 
did  you  all  go  that  day  just  before  Christmas  when 
you  started  off,  a  whole  party  of  you,  traipsing 
down  the  road  with  a  new  saucepan  and  baskets 
and  things  ?  I  heard  you  had  a  picnic  in  the  snow. 
Is  that  so?  " 

Lloyd  really  gasped  this  time,  but  not  from  the 
heat.  She  was  so  surprised  that  Mrs.  Bisbee  should 
have  taken  such  an  interest  in  her  affairs,  or  in 
any  of  the  unimportant  doings  of  their  set,  as  to 
remember  them  longer  than  the  passing  moment. 


258    LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

Mrs.  Bisbee  was  associated  in  Lloyd's  mind  with 
solemn  churchly  things,  like  the  Gothic-backed  pul- 
pit chairs  or  the  sombre  brown  pews.  Lloyd  had 
never  seen  her  before,  except  when  she  was  singing 
hymns,  or  sitting  with  meekly  folded  hands  through 
sermon-time.  It  was  almost  as  surprising  to  find 
that  she  was  inquisitive  and  interested  in  human 
happenings  as  it  would  have  been  to  discover  that 
the  ivy-covered  belfry  kept  an  eye  on  her. 

In  the  midst  of  her  description  of  the  picnic, 
Mrs.  Bisbee  leaned  forward  and  peered  eagerly  out 
of  the  window  over  her  spectacles. 

"  I  don't  want  to  interrupt  you,"  she  said ;  "  I 
just  wanted  to  make  sure  that  that  was  Caleb  Co- 
burn  out  again.  He  has  been  house-bound  with 
rheumatism  ever  since  Thanksgiving." 

Lloyd  looked  out  in  time  to  see  a  tall,  stoop- 
shouldered  man  with  a  bushy  beard  go  slowly 
across  the  road.  He  was  buttoned  up  in  a  heavy 
overcoat,  and  limped  along  with  the  aid  of  two 
canes. 

"  He's  the  queerest  old  fellow,"  commented  Mrs. 
Bisbee,  looking  after  him,  with  a  gentle  shake  of 
the  head.  "  Lately  he  has  taken  to  knitting,  to 
pass  the  time." 


IN  THE  FOOTSTEPS  OF  AMANTtfIS         2$$ 

"  To  knitting !  "  echoed  Lloyd,  in  amazement. 
"That  big  man?" 

"  Yes.  He  calls  it  hooking.  He  has  a  needle 
made  out  of  a  ham  bone.  Fancy  now!  Daughter 
said  it  was  the  funniest  thing  in  life  to  see  him 
propped  up  in  bed  with  a  striped  skull-cap  on,  hook- 
ing his  wife  a  shawl." 

Lloyd  laughed,  but  she  followed  the  stooped 
figure  with  a  glance  of  sympathy.  She  knew  from 
experience  how  hard  it  was  to  spend  the  time  in 
enforced  idleness.  Old  Mr.  Coburn  had  always 
been  a  familiar  figure  to  her.  She  recognized  him 
on  the  road  as  she  did  the  trees  and  the  houses 
which  she  passed  daily,  but  he  had  never  aroused 
her  interest  any  more  than  they.  Now  the  knowl- 
edge that  he  was  lonely  like  herself,  so  lonely  that, 
big,  bearded  man  as  he  was,  he  had  learned  to  knit 
in  order  to  occupy  the  dull  days,  seemed  to  put 
them  on  a  common  footing. 

Lloyd  took  a  long  step  forward  out  of  her  child- 
hood that  morning  when  she  wakened  to  the  fact 
that  some  things  are  as  hard  to  bear  at  fifty  as  at 
fifteen.  With  a  dawning  interest  she  watched  the 
people  of  the  Valley  go  by,  one  by  one,  —  people 
whom  she  had  passed  heretofore  as  she  had  passed 
the  fence-posts  on  the  road.  It  could  never  be  so 


26O  LITTLE   COLONEL 'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

again,  for  henceforth  she  would  see  them  in  a  new 
light,  —  the  light  of  understanding  and  sympathy 
shed  on  them  by  Mrs.  Bisbee's  choice  bits  of  gossip 
or  scraps  of  personal  history. 

She  had  watched  the  procession  for  nearly  an 
hour,  when  Agnes  Waring  suddenly  turned  the 
corner,  and  went  into  the  store  with  a  bundle  in 
her  arms.  Mrs.  Bisbee,  pausing  in  the  act  of 
threading  a  needle,  looked  out  again  over  her  spec- 
tacles. 

"  There  goes  a  girl  I'm  certainly  sorry  for.  She 
is  a  born  lady,  and  comes  of  as  good  a  family  as 
anybody  in  the  Valley,  but  she  has  to  work  harder 
than  any  darkey  in  Lloydsboro.  She's  up  at  four 
o'clock  these  winter  mornings,  milks  the  cow,  chops 
wood,  gets  breakfast,  and  maybe  walks  two  or 
three  miles  with  a  big  bundle  like  that,  taking  home 
sewing,  or  going  out  to  fit  a  dress  for  somebody." 

Miss  Allison  had  already  awakened  Lloyd's  in- 
terest in  Agnes,  and  she  leaned  forward  to  watch 
her,  while  Mrs.  Bisbee  went  on. 

"  She's  never  had  any  of  the  pleasures  that  most 
girls  have.  To  my  certain  knowledge  she's  never 
had  a  beau  or  been  to  a  big  party  or  travelled  far- 
ther than  Louisville.  I  suppose  you  could  count 
on  the  fingers  of  one  hand  the  times  she  has  been 


IN  THE  FOOTSTEPS  OF  AMANTHIS          26 1 

on  a  train.  She's  wild  about  music,  but  she's  never 
had  any  advantages.  By  the  way,  she  was  in  here 
the  day  after  the  King's  Daughters  met  at  Allison 
Maclntyre's,  to  fit  a  wrapper  on  me.  Knowing 
how  few  outings  she  has,  I  encouraged  her  to  talk 
it  all  over,  as  I  knew  she  was  glad  to  do.  I  declare 
she  made  as  much  of  it  as  if  it  had  been  the  gov- 
ernor's ball.  She  told  me  how  much  she  enjoyed 
your  singing.  She  said  that,  if  there  was  any  one 
person  in  the  world  whom  she  envied  more  than 
another,  it  was  Lloyd  Sherman.  Not  for  your  looks 
or  the  handsome  things  you  have  (for  the  Valley 
is  full  of  pretty  girls,  and  many  of  them  are 
wealthy),  but  for  the  advantages  you  have  had  in 
the  way  of  music  and  travel. 

"  They  have  an  old  piano,  about  all  that  was 
saved  out  of  the  wreck  when  their  father  lost  his 
fortune.  She'd  give  her  eyes  to  be  able  to  play 
on  it.  But  she  wasn't  much  more  than  a  baby 
when  her  father  died,  so  she  missed  the  advantages 
the  older  girls  had.  You  see  she  is  twenty  years 
younger  than  Marietta,  and  nearly  twenty-five 
years  younger  than  Sarah.  Poor  Agnes!  I  sup- 
pose she  will  never  know  anything  but  work  and 
poverty.  It's  too  bad,  —  such  a  sweet,  refined  girl, 
and  as  proud  as  she  is  poor." 


262   LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

Lloyd  echoed  Mrs.  Bisbee's  sympathetic  sigh, 
as  she  looked  after  the  hurrying  figure  in  its  worn 
jacket  and  shabby  shoes.  She  was  just  coming  out 
of  the  store  again. 

"  I  feel  so  sorry  for  her  sistahs,  too,"  she  ven- 
tured. "  I  nevah  knew  till  the  othah  day  that  Miss 
Marietta  has  been  an  invalid  so  long.  Miss  Alli- 
son told  me  she  had  been  in  bed  for  fifteen  yeahs ! 
It's  awful !  Why,  that  is  as  long  as  my  whole  life- 
time has  been." 

"  She  was  to  have  been  married,"  began  Mrs. 
Bisbee,  pouring  out  the  romance  at  which  Miss 
Allison  had  only  hinted.  "  She  was  engaged  to 
Murray  Cathright,  one  of  the  finest  young  lawyers 
I  ever  knew,  steady  as  a  meeting-house.  He  had 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  everybody.  Well, 
Marietta  had  her  trousseau  all  ready,  and  a  beautiful 
one  it  was.  Her  father  had  sent  to  Paris  for  the 
wedding-gown,  and  all  her  linen  was  hand-em- 
broidered by  the  nuns  in  some  French  convent. 

"  They  certainly  had  all  that  heart  could  wish 
in  those  days.  It  is  a  pity  that  Agnes  was  too 
young  to  enjoy  her  share  of  luxuries.  Well,  just 
a  week  before  the  time  set  for  the  wedding,  Murray 
Cathright  mysteriously  disappeared.  He  had  gone 
away  on  a  short  business  trip.  His  family  traced 


tJV  THE  FOOTSTEPS  OF  AMANTHIS          26$ 

him  to  a  hotel  in  Pittsburg,  and  then  lost  all  clue, 
except  that  just  before  leaving  the  hotel  he  had 
asked  the  clerk  for  the  time-tables  of  an  Eastern 
railroad.  There  was  a  terrible  wreck  on  that  road 
that  same  night.  The  entire  train  went  through 
a  bridge  into  the  river,  and  they  thought  he  must 
have  been  swept  away  with  the  unidentified  dead. 
But  it  was  months  before  Marietta  would  believe 
it. 

"  She  acted  as  if  her  mind  were  a  little  touched 
all  that  summer.  Used  to  dress  up  every  evening 
in  the  clothes  he  had  liked  best,  with  a  flower  in 
her  hair,  and  go  down  to  the  honeysuckle  arbour 
to  wait  for  him.  She'd  sit  there  and  wait  and  wait 
all  alone,  until  her  father'd  go  down  and  lead  her 
in.  The  next  day  she'd  go  through  the  same  per- 
formance. It  ended  in  a  spell  of  brain  fever.  She 
came  out  of  that  with  her  mind  all  right,  but  she 
never  was  strong  again.  After  all  the  rest  of  their 
troubles  came,  she  had  a  stroke  of  paralysis.  It's 
left  her  so  she  can't  walk.  But  she  can  lie  there 
and  make  buttonholes  and  pull  basting  threads. 
She's  a  perfect  marvel,  she's  so  patient  and  cheerful. 
People  like  to  go  there  just  on  that  account.  You'd 
never  know  she  had  a  trouble  to  hear  her  talk.  But 
I  know  what  she's  suffered,  and  I  know  that  she 


264  LITTLE  COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS   VACATION 

still  keeps  the  wedding-gown.  It's  laid  away  in 
rose  leaves  for  her  to  be  buried  in." 

Mrs.  Bisbee  paused  and  spread  out  the  finished 
quilt-piece  on  her  knee,  patting  it  approvingly  be- 
fore choosing  the  scraps  for  another  block.  Then 
she  wiped  her  spectacles.  "  Sometimes  I  don't 
know  which  I'm  the  sorriest  for,  Marietta,  who  had 
such  a  good  man  for  a  lover  as  Murray  Cathright 
was,  and  lost  him,  or  Agnes,  who's  never  had  any- 
thing." 

"  Why  don't  people  invite  her  out  and  give  her 
a  good  time?  "  asked  Lloyd.  "  Her  being  a  seam- 
stress oughtn't  to  make  any  difference  to  old  family 
friends,  when  she's  such  a  lady." 

"  It  doesn't,"  answered  Mrs.  Bisbee.  "  People 
used  to  be  nice  to  those  girls,  and  they  were  always 
invited  everywhere  at  first.  But  after  awhile  there 
was  Marietta  always  in  bed,  and  Agnes  a  mere 
baby,  and  poor  Miss  Sarah  with  the  burden  of  their 
support.  She  had  only  her  needle  to  keep  the  wolf 
from  the  door.  She  couldn't  accept  invitations 
then.  There  was  no  time.  Gradually  people 
stopped  asking  her.  She  dropped  out  of  the  social 
life  of  the  Valley  so  completely  that  Agnes  grew 
up  without  any  knowledge  of  it.  All  she  has 
known  has  been  hard  work.  Miss  Allison  has  tried 


IN  THE  FOOTSTEPS  OF  AMANTHIS          26$ 

to  draw  her  into  things,  but  the  older  sisters  are 
proud,  as  I  said.  Agnes  cannot  dress  suitably,  and 
they  can  make  no  return  of  hospitalities,  so  she 
has  never  ventured  into  anything  more  than  the 
King's  Daughters'  Circle." 

"There's  Alec  with  the  carriage!"  exclaimed 
Lloyd.  "  He's  stopping  at  the  stoah.  If  I  hurry, 
I  can  ride  back  home.  I've  stayed  so  long  that 
mothah  will  wondah  what  has  become  of  me." 

"Don't  go!  "  begged  Mrs.  Bisbee,  as  Lloyd  be- 
gan drawing  on  her  coat.  "1  don't  know  when 
I've  enjoyed  a  morning  so  much.  Since  daughter's 
married  and  gone  I  miss  her  young  friends  so 
much.  She  used  to  have  the  house  full  of  them 
from  morning  till  night.  Now  I  fairly  pine  for 
the  sight  of  a  fresh  young  face  sometimes.  You've 
livened  me  up  more  than  you  can  know.  Do  come 
again !  " 

Lloyd  went  away  highly  pleased  by  her  cordial 
reception.  She  had  enjoyed  being  talked  to  as  if 
she  were  grown,  and  these  glimpses  into  the  lives 
of  her  neighbours  were  more  interesting  than  any 
her  books  could  give  her.  When  she  passed  the 
lane  leading  up  to  the  house  where  the  three  sis- 
ters lived,  she  wished  that  she  could  turn  over  a 
leaf  and  read  more  about  them.  She  wondered 


266  LITTLE  COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

if  Miss  Marietta  ever  took  out  the  beautiful  wed- 
ding-dress that  was  to  be  her  shroud.  She  mused 
over  the  newly  discovered  romance  all  the  way 
home. 

If  it  had  not  been  for  that  morning's  call,  and 
the  interest  it  aroused  in  her  neighbours,  several 
things  might  not  have  happened,  which  afterward 
'followed  each  other  like  links  in  a  chain.  Probably 
Miss  Sarah  would  have  walked  up  to  Locust  just 
the  same,  to  take  home  a  wrapper  she  had  finished, 
and  not  finding  Mrs.  Sherman  at  home  would  have 
stepped  inside  the  door  a  moment  to  warm  by  the 
dining-room  fire;  and  Lloyd,  with  the  courtesy 
that  never  failed  her,  would  have  been  as  graciously 
polite  as  her  mother  could  have  been.  But  if  it 
had  not  been  for  the  interest  in  her  that  Mrs.  Bis- 
bee's  story  gave,  several  other  happenings  might 
not  have  followed. 

As  Lloyd  looked  at  the  gray-haired  woman  on 
whom  toil  and  poverty  and  care  had  left  their 
marks,  and  remembered  there  had  been  a  time  when 
Miss  Sarah  had  been  as  tenderly  cared  for  as  her- 
self, a  sudden  pity  surged  up  into  her  heart.  She 
longed  to  lighten  her  load  in  some  way,  and  to 
give  back  to  her  for  a  moment  at  least  the  comforts 
she  had  lost.  With  a  quick  gesture  she  motioned 


IN   THE   FOOTSTEPS  OF  AMANTHIS          267 

her  away  fom  the  dining-room  door.  "  No,  come 
in  heah !  "  she  exclaimed,  leading  the  way  into  the 
drawing-room,  and  pushing  a  big  armchair  toward 
the  fire. 

Blue  and  cold  from  her  long  walk  against  the 
wind,  Miss  Sarah  sank  down  among  the  soft  cush- 
ions and  leaned  back  luxuriously. 

"  It's  so  ti'ahsome  walking  against  the  wind," 
exclaimed  the  Little  Colonel.  "  When  I  came  in 
awhile  ago,  I  was  puffing  and  blowing.  I'm  going 
to  make  you  a  cup  of  hot  tea.  That's  what  mothah 
always  takes.  No!  It  won't  be  any  trouble"  she 
exclaimed,  as  Miss  Sarah  protested.  "  It  will  be 
the  biggest  kind  of  a  pleasuah.  It  will  give  me  a 
chance  to  use  mothah's  little  tea-ball.  I  deahly 
love  to  wiggle  it  around  in  the  cup  and  see  the 
watah  po'ah  out  of  all  the  little  holes.  I've  been 
wishing  somebody  would  come,  or  that  I  had  some- 
thing to  do.  Now  you  have  granted  both  wishes. 
I  can  have  a  regulah  little  tea-pah'ty.  Excuse  me 
just  a  minute,  please." 

Left  to  herself,  Miss  Sarah  sat  looking  around 
at  the  handsome  furnishings :  the  thick  Persian 
rugs,  the  old  portraits,  the  tall,  burnished  harp  in 
the  corner,  the  bowl  of  hothouse  violets  on  the 
table  at  her  elbow,  until  Lloyd  returned,  bearing  a 


268   LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS   VACATION 

toasting  fork  and  a  plate  of  thinly  sliced  bread. 
Miss  Sarah  turned  toward  her  with  wistful  eyes. 

"  I  have  always  loved  this  old  room,"  she  said. 
"  This  is  the  first  time  I  have  been  in  it  for  twenty 
years.  It  is  an  old  friend.  I  have  spent  many 
happy  hours  here  in  your  grandmother's  day.  She 
was  always  entertaining  the  young  people  of  the 
Valley.  Sometimes  that  time  seems  so  far  away 
that  I  wonder  if  it  was  not  all  a  dream.  It  was 
a  very  beautiful  dream,  at  any  rate.  I  often  wish 
Agnes  could  have  had  a  share  in  it.  She  has  missed 
so  much  in  not  having  her  friendship." 

She  nodded  toward  the  portrait  over  the  mantel. 
"  Amanthis  Lloyd  was  my  ideal  woman  when  I  was 
a  young  girl  like  yourself,"  she  added,  softly,  with 
her  eyes  on  the  beautiful  features  above  her. 

"  I  have  missed  so  much,  too,"  said  Lloyd,  fol- 
lowing Miss  Sarah's  gaze.  "  And  yet  it  seems  to 
me  I  must  have  known  her.  The  portrait  has  al- 
ways seemed  alive  to  me.  I  used  to  talk  to  it 
sometimes  when  I  was  a  little  thing,  and  I  nevah 
could  beah  to  look  at  it  when  I  had  been  naughty. 
I  wish  you  would  tell  me  about  her." 

She  knelt  on  the  hearth-rug  as  she  spoke,  and 
held  the  long  toasting-fork  toward  the  fire. 
"  Mothah  and  grand fathah  often  talk  about  her, 


IN  THE  FOOTSTEPS  OF  AMANTHIS          269 

but  they  don't  tell  the  same  things  that  one  outside 
of  'the  family  might." 

By  the  time  the  toast  was  delicately  browned 
and  buttered,  Mom  Beck  came  in  with  the  tea- 
tray,  and  placed  it  on  the  table  beside  the  bowl  of 
violets. 

"  Good ! "  exclaimed  Lloyd,  seating  herself  on 
the  other  side  of  the  table  as  the  old  woman  left 
the  room.  "  I  didn't  think  to  tell  her  to  bring  cold 
turkey  and  strawberry  preserves  and  fruit  cake,  but 
she  remembered  that  I  didn't  eat  much  lunch,  and 
she  is  always  trying  to  tempt  my  appetite.  She's 
the  best  old  soul  that  evah  was.  Oh,  Miss  Sarah, 
I'm  so  glad  you  came.  I  haven't  had  a  pah'ty  like 
this  for  ages.  Heah!  I'll  let  you  wiggle  the  tea- 
ball  in  yoah  own  cup,  so  that  you  can  make  it  as 
strong  as  you  like,  because  you're  company." 

The  dimples  deepened  playfully  in  her  cheeks 
as  she  passed  the  tea-ball  across  the  table.  Miss 
Sarah  smiled,  although  her  eyes  felt  misty.  "  You 
dear  child !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  That  was  Amanthis 
Lloyd  all  over  again.  She  never  reached  out  and 
gave  pleasure  to  other  people  as  if  she  were  bestow- 
ing a  favour.  She  always  made  it  seem  as  if  it 
were  only  her  own  pleasure  which  you  were  enhanc- 
ing by  sharing.  You  don't  know  what  an  interest 


2/O   LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

I  have  taken  in  you  for  her  sake,  as  I've  watched 
you  growing  up  here  in  the  Valley.  I  used  to  hear 
remarks  about  your  temper  and  your  imperious 
ways,  and  day  after  day,  as  I've  watched  you  ride 
past  the  house  beside  your  grandfather,  sitting  up 
in  the  same  straight,  haughty  way,  I've  thought 
she's  well  named.  She's  the  Colonel  over  again. 

"  But  to-day,  in  this  old  room,  you  are  startlingly 
like  her  in  some  way,  I  can  hardly  tell  what."  She 
glanced  up  again  at  the  portrait.  "  Your  eyes  look 
at  me  in  the  same  understanding  sort  of  way.  They 
almost  unseal  the  silence  of  twenty  years.  I  have 
never  said  this  to  any  one  else.  But  I  used  to  look 
at  her  sometimes  and  think  that  George  Eliot  must 
have  meant  her  when  she  wrote  in  her  '  Choir 
Invisible '  of  one  who  could  '  be  to  other  souls  the 
cup  of  strength  in  some  great  agony.'  She  was 
that  to  me.  People  always  used  to  go  to  her  with 
their  troubles." 

Lloyd  bent  over  her  cup,  her  face  flushing. 
"  Then  I'm  so  glad  you  think  I'm  even  a  little  bit 
like  her,"  she  said,  softly.  "  Nobody  evah  told 
me  that  befoah.  I've  always  wanted  to  be." 

The  thought  gave  her  a  glow  of  pleasure  all 
through  the  meal.  Long  after  Miss  Sarah  went 
away,  warmed  and  quickened  in  heart  as  well  as 


IN  THE  FOOTSTEPS  OF  AMANTHIS          2JI 

body,  it  lingered  with  her.  Afterward  it  prompted 
her  to  pause  before  the  portrait  with  a  questioning 
glance  into  the  clear  eyes  above  her. 

"  '  The  cup  of  strength  to  other  souls  in  some 
great  agony/  "  she  repeated.  "  And  you  were  that ! 
Oh,  I  would  love  to  be,  too,  if  I  didn't  have  to 
suffer  too  much  first  to  learn  how  to  sympathize  and 
comfort.  Maybe  that  is  what  I  am  to  learn  from 
this  wintah's  disappointment,  —  a  way  to  help 
othah  people  beah  their  disappointments.  If  I 
could  do  that,"  she  whispered,  looking  wistfully 
at  the  face  above  her,  "if  only  one  person  in  the 
world  could  remembah  me  as  Miss  Sarah  remem- 
bahs  you,  you  beautiful  Grandmothah  Amanthis, 
it  would  be  worth  all  the  misahable  time  I  have 
had." 

Then  she  turned  suddenly  and  went  into  the 
library  to  look  for  the  poem  Miss  Sarah  had  quoted. 
She  had  never  taken  the  volume  from  the  shelves 
before.  She  did  not  care  for  poetry  as  Betty  did, 
and  it  took  her  some  time  to  find  the  lines  she  was 
looking  for.  But  when  she  found  them,  she  took 
the  book  back  to  the  drawing-room,  and  read  the 
page  again  and  again,  with  a  quick  bounding  of 
the  pulses  as  she  realized  that  here  in  words  was 
the  ambition  which  she  had  often  felt  vaguely  stir- 


2/2   LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

ring  within  her.  Even  if  she  could  not  reach  the 
highest  ones,  and  be  "  the  cup  of  strength,"  or 
"  make  undying  music  in  the  world,"  she  could  at 
least  attempt  the  other  aims  it  held  forth.  She 
could  at  least  try  "  to  ease  the  burden  of  the  world." 
She  could  live  "  in  scorn  for  miserable  aims  that 
end  with  self." 

With  the  book  open  on  her  lap,  and  her  hands 
clasped  around  her  knees,  she  sat  looking  steadily 
into  the  fire.  She  did  not  know  what  a  long,  long 
step  she  was  taking  out  of  childhood  that  afternoon, 
nor  that  the  sweet  seriousness  of  her  new  purpose 
shone  in  her  upturned  face.  But  when  the  old 
Colonel  came  into  the  room  and  found  her  sitting 
there  in  the  firelight,  he  paused  and  then  glanced 
up  at  the  portrait.  He  was  almost  startled  by  the 
striking  resemblance,  —  a  likeness  of  expression 
that  he  had  never  noticed  before. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 


LLOYD  sat  on  the  window-seat  of  the  stair-land- 
ing, looking  out  on  the  bare  February  landscape. 
She  was  thinking  of  the  poem  she  had  learned  three 
weeks  before,  on  the  afternoon  of  Miss  Sarah's 
visit,  and  it  made  her  dissatisfied.  When  one  was 
all  a-tingle,  as  she  had  been,  with  a  high  purpose 
to  help  ease  the  burden  of  the  world  and  make  un- 
dying music  in  it,  and  when  one  longed  to  do  big, 
heroic  deeds  and  had  ambitions  high  enough  to 
reach  the  stars,  it  was  hard  to  be  content  with  the 
commonplace  opportunities  that  came  her  way. 

The  things  she  had  been  doing  seemed  so  paltry. 
To  carry  a  glass  of  jelly  to  the  Crisps,  a  pot  of 
pink  hyacinths  to  Miss  Marietta,  to  write  a  letter 
for  Aunt  Cindy,  to  sit  for  an  hour  with  Mrs.  Bis- 
bee,  —  these  all  were  so  trivial  and  pitifully  small 
that  she  felt  a  sense  of  disgust  with  herself  and 
her  efforts.  Yawning  and  swinging  her  foot,  she 
sat  in  the  window-seat  several  minutes  longer,  then 
273 


2/4  LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

started  aimlessly  up-stairs  to  her  room.  In  the 
upper  hall  the  door  leading  into  the  attic  stairway 
stood  open,  and  for  no  reason  save  that  she  had 
nothing  else  to  do,  she  began  to  mount  the  steps. 
She  had  not  been  up  in  the  attic  since  Christmas 
week,  when  she  and  Rob  had  gone  to  finish  his 
Christmas  hunt. 

She  stood  looking  around  her  an  instant,  then, 
moved  by  some  unaccountable  impulse,  drew  out 
the  chest  containing  the  fancy-dress  costumes  they 
had  used  in  so  many  plays  and  tableaux.  One  by 
one  she  shook  them  out  and  hung  them  over  Rob's 
headless  hobby-horse,  when  she  had  finished  ex- 
amining them.  There  were  the  velvet  knickerbock- 
ers and  blouse  she  had  worn  as  Little  Boy  Blue  at 
the  Hallowe'en  party  at  the  Seminary.  There  was 
Betty's  Dresden  Shepherdess  dress,  and  the  god- 
mother's gown,  and  the  long  trailing  robe  of  the 
Princess  Winsome.  Even  the  little  tulle  dress  she 
had  worn  as  the  Queen  of  Hearts  at  Ginger's  Val- 
entine party,  years  ago,  came  out  of  the  chest  as 
she  dived  deeper  into  its  contents,  and  a  star-span- 
gled costume  of  red,  white,  and  blue,  in  which  she 
had  fluttered  as  the  Goddess  of  Liberty  one  Fourth 
of  July. 

Slippers  and  buckles  and  plumes,  fans  and  gloves 


«  CINDERELLA  "  2/5 

and  artificial  flowers,  were  piled  up  all  around  her. 
The  hobby-horse  was  hidden  under  a  drapery  of 
velvet  and  lace  and  silk.  Still  the  chest  held  a  num- 
ber of  old  party  gowns  that  had  never  been  cut 
down  to  fit  their  childish  revels. 

As  Lloyd  shook  them  out,  thinking  of  the  gay 
scenes  they  had  been  a  part  of,  the  picture  of  Agnes 
Waring  in  her  worn  jacket  and  shabby  shoes 
flashed  across  her  mind,  followed  by  Mrs.  Bisbee's 
remark :  "  She's  never  had  any  of  the  pleasures 
that  most  girls  have.  Twenty-five  years  old,  and 
to  my  certain  knowledge  she's  never  had  a  beau 
or  been  to  a  big  party,  or  travelled  farther  than 
Louisville." 

Lloyd  pressed  her  lips  together  and  stood  staring 
at  the  old  finery  around  her,  thinking  hard.  A 
sudden  vision  had  come  to  her  of  this  modern  Cin- 
derella, and  of  herself  as  the  fairy  godmother.  Her 
eyes  shone  and  her  cheeks  grew  pink  as  she  stood 
pondering.  If  she  could  only  make  an  occasion, 
it  would  be  easy  enough  to  provide  the  coach  and 
the  costume,  even  the  glass  slippers.  There  lay  a 
pair  of  white  satin  ones,  beaded  in  tiny  crystal 
beads  that  shone  like  dewdrops.  Suppose  she 
should  play  godmother  and  send  Agnes  to  a  ball. 
Suppose  the  shy,  timid  girl  should  look  so  fine  in 


276  LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS   VACATION 

her  fine  feathers  that  people  would  stare  at  her  and 
wonder  who  that  beautiful  creature  was.  Suppose 
a  prince  should  be  there  who  never  would  have 
noticed  her  but  for  the  magic  glass  slippers,  and 
then  suppose  — 

Lloyd  did  not  put  the  rest  of  the  delightful  day- 
dream into  words,  but  just  stood  thinking  about 
it  a  long  time,  until  her  expression  grew  very  sweet 
and  tender  over  a  little  romance  which  she  dreamed 
might  grow  out  of  her  plan  to  give  Agnes  pleasure. 

"  If  I  only  had  thought  of  it  in  time  to  have  had 
a  Valentine  pah'ty,"  she  exclaimed  aloud,  "  that 
would  have  been  the  very  thing.  But  it  is  too  late 
now.  This  is  the  seventeenth."  Then  she  clasped 
her  hands  delightedly  as  that  date  suggested  an- 
other. "  It  is  five  days  till  Washington's  Birthday. 
Maybe  there  will  be  time  to  get  up  a  Martha  Wash- 
ington affair.  I'll  ask  Miss  Allison  about  it  this 
very  night  at  choir  practice.  She  always  has  so 
many  new  ideas." 

Tumbling  the  costumes  back  into  the  trunk, 
helter-skelter,  she  danced  down  the  stairs,  impa- 
tient to  tell  her  mother  about  it.  But  there  were 
guests  in  the  library  who  had  been  invited  to  spend 
the  afternoon  and  stay  to  dinner,  and  Lloyd  had 
no  opportunity  to  speak  of  the  subject  that  was 


"  CINDERELLA  "  2// 

uppermost  in  her  thoughts.  Immediately  after  din- 
ner she  excused  herself,  to  slip  into  her  red  coat 
and  furs,  while  Mom  Beck  lighted  the  lantern  they 
were  to  carry. 

It  was  only  a  short  distance  to  the  Mallard  place, 
where  the  choir  was  to  meet  that  week,  so  they  did 
not  need  Alec's  escort  this  time.  The  wind  flared 
their  lantern  as  they  went  along  the  quiet  country 
road.  They  could  see  other  lights  bobbing  along 
toward  them,  and,  as  they  neared  the  gate,  Lloyd 
recognized  Mrs.  Walton's  voice.  She  and  Miss 
Allison  were  coming  up  with  their  brother  Harry. 

"  Is  that  you,  Lloyd  ?  "  called  Mrs.  Walton,  as 
they  drew  nearer.  "  I  hoped  you  would  come  early, 
for  I  have  a  letter  from  the  girls  that  I  know  you 
will  want  to  read.  They  are  full  of  preparations 
for  a  grand  affair  to  be  given  on  the  twenty-second, 
—  a  Martha  Washington  reception.  As  usual, 
Kitty  wants  to  depart  from  the  accustomed  order 
of  things,  and  have  a  costume  in  George's  honour, 
instead  of  Martha's.  She  says  why  not,  as  long 
as  it  is  his  birthday.  She's  painted  a  picture  of 
the  dress  she  has  concocted  for  the  occasion.  It 
is  green  tarlatan  dotted  all  over  with  little  silver 
paper  hatchets,  and  trimmed  with  garlands  and 
bunches  of  artificial  cherries." 


2/8   LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS   VACATION 

"  Oh,  I'm  so  glad  you  brought  the  pictuah  with 
you  to-night!"  exclaimed  Lloyd.  "And  I'm  wild 
to  see  the  lettah.  Kitty  always  writes  such  funny 
ones.  And  I'm  glad  I  met  you  out  heah  befoah 
the  choir  practice  begins.  I  want  to  ask  you  about 
a  celebration  I  have  been  planning.  It's  for  Agnes 
Waring,"  she  explained,  catching  step  with  them 
as  they  turned  in  at  the  gate.  "  So  of  co'se  I  can't 
talk  about  it  befoah  all  the  othah  people. 

"  I  happened  to  be  looking  ovah  a  chest  of  old 
costumes  to-day,  thinking  of  all  the  fun  we'd  had 
in  them,  when  I  remembahed  her  and  what  Mrs. 
Bisbee  had  told  me  about  her  nevah  having  good 
times  like  othah  girls.  She  said  she'd  nevah  had 
any  attention,  and  nevah  been  to  a  big  pah'ty.  I 
thought  I'd  like  to  give  her  one  on  the  twenty- 
second,  because  I  could  offah  her  a  costume  then 
without  hurting  her  feelings.  I  was  suah  that  you 
and  Miss  Allison  could  suggest  something  moah 
than  I  had  thought  of.  I  don't  know  exactly  how 
to  begin.  People  will  think  it  strange,  and  Agnes 
might,  too,  if  I  gave  a  pah'ty  just  for  her,  when  all 
her  friends  whom'  I  would  want  to  invite  are  so 
much  oldah  than  I." 

Miss  Allison  and  her  sister  exchanged  glances 
in  the  lantern-light,  then  Mrs.  Walton  said,  hesi- 


"  CINDERELLA  "  2/9 

tatingly:  "Why  —  I  don't  know  —  I'm  sorry, 
Lloyd,  that  we  didn't  know  before.  We've  already 
made  plans  which  I  am  afraid  will  interfere  with 
yours.  The  King's  Daughters'  Circle  has  arranged 
to  have  an  oyster  supper  at  my  house  on  the  after- 
noon and  evening  of  the  twenty-second.  Most  of 
the  people  you  would  want  to  ask  will  be  busy  there, 
for  everybody  in  the  Valley  lends  a  hand  at  these 
entertainments." 

They  could  not  see  the  disappointment  that  shad- 
owed Lloyd's  face  as  she  listened  to  this  announce- 
ment in  silence.  But  Miss  Allison  knew  it  was 
there,  and,  as  they  walked  on  up  the  path  together, 
she  slipped  her  arm  around  Lloyd's  waist. 

"  Never  mind,  dear,"  she  said.  "  You  shall  not 
have  your  beautiful  plan  spoiled  by  the  old  oyster 
supper.  We'll  combine  forces.  As  Agnes  is  a 
member  of  the  Circle,  maybe  you  can  bring  about 
what  you  want  more  naturally  and  easily  this  way 
than  in  any  other.  The  girls  who  are  to  wait  on 
the  table  are  to  powder  their  hair  and  wear  white 
kerchiefs  and  Martha  Washington  caps.  But  we 
had  intended  to  ask  you  to  take  charge  of  the  fancy- 
work  table,  as  you  have  more  time  for  getting  up 
elaborate  costumes.  We  wanted  to  ask  you  to 
dress  in  as  handsome  a  costume  of  that  period  as 


280  LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

you  could  find.  We  remember  what  lovely  brocade 
gowns  and  quilted  petticoats  and  old-fashioned  fol- 
de-rols  used  to  be  laid  away  in  your  grandmother's 
attic  that  belonged  to  her  grandmother.  If  you 
like,  you  may  give  your  place  to  Agnes,  and  let 
her  be  the  belle  of  the  ball." 

Lloyd  returned  the  pressure  of  the  arm  about 
her  with  an  impulsive  hug.  "  Oh,  I  knew  you'd 
think  of  something  perfectly  lovely,"  she  cried. 
"  That  would  be  much  the  best  way,  for  she  is  so 
timid  and  quiet  you  couldn't  keep  her  from  being 
a  wall-flowah  at  an  ordinary  pah'ty.  But  this  way 
she  will  have  something  to  do,  and  she'll  have  to 
talk  when  people  come  to  buy  things.  I  wish  it 
were  not  so  long  till  to-morrow!  I  want  to  tell 
her  about  it  this  minute." 

Usually  the  choir  practice  was  a  bore  to  Lloyd. 
She  was  one  of  the  few  members  who  sang  by  note, 
and  Mrs.  Walton,  the  leader,  had  to  take  them 
through  the  simple  anthems  over  and  over  again, 
until  they  caught  the  tune  by  ear.  Lloyd,  knowing 
that  her  strong  young  voice  was  needed,  sang  duti- 
fully through  the  tiresome  repetitions,  but  some- 
times she  wanted  to  put  her  fingers  in  her  ears  to 
shut  out  the  sound.  To-night  she  did  not  chafe 
inwardly  at  the  false  starts  and  the  monotonous 


"CINDERELLA"  28 1 

chant,  "  Oh,  be  thankful !  Oh,  be  thankful !  "  which 
had  to  be  sung  over  numberless  times  in  order  that 
the  bass  and  alto  singers  might  learn  to  come  in 
at  the  proper  places  with  their  responsive  refrain. 
She  was  so  absorbed  in  thinking  of  the  pleasure  in 
store  for  Agnes,  and  imagining  what  she  would 
say,  that  she  sang  the  three  measures  over  and  over, 
unheeding  how  long  the  choir  stuck  there,  or  un- 
caring how  many  times  they  seesawed  up  and  down 
on  the  same  tiresome  notes. 

.The  excitement  began  for  Agnes  next  day,  when 
Lloyd  delivered  Miss  Allison's  invitation,  and  bore 
her  away  in  the  carriage  to  search  through  the  attic 
for  a  costume.  She  had  never  been  farther  than  the 
door  at  Locust.  Her  journeys  thither  had  been  to 
carry  home  some  finished  garment.  But  many  an 
hour  of  patient  sewing  had  been  brightened  by  her 
sisters'  tales  of  the  place.  Both  Miss  Sarah  and 
Miss  Marietta  remembered  it  affectionately,  for  the 
sake  of  the  woman  who  had  welcomed  them  there 
on  so  many  happy  occasions  in  the  past. 

Agnes  thought  she  knew  just  how  the  interior 
of  Locust  would  look,  especially  the  stately  old 
drawing-room,  with  its  portraits  and  candles,  its 
harp  and  the  faint  odour  of  rose-leaves ;  and  really 
there  was  something  familiar  to  her  in  its  appear- 


282   LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

ance  as  she  caught  a  glimpse  of  it  on  her  way  up- 
stairs to  Lloyd's  room.  But  she  had  never  imag- 
ined such  a  dainty  rose  of  a  room  as  the  pink  and 
white  bower  Lloyd  led  her  into.  There  might  have 
been  a  throb  of  resentment  that  all  such  beauty  and 
luxury  had  been  left  out  of  her  life,  if  there  had 
been  time  for  her  to  look  around  and  compare  it 
with  her  own  scantily  furnished  room  at  home. 

Lloyd  hurried  over  to  the  bed,  eager  to  display 
a  gorgeous  brocade  gown  of  rose  and  silver  laid 
out  there,  which  Mrs.  Sherman  had  brought  down 
from  the  attic  in  her  absence,  and  from  which  Mom 
Beck  had  pressed  all  the  wrinkles. 

"  It's  as  good  as  new,"  said  Lloyd.  "  I'm  glad 
that  mothah  wouldn't  let  us  cut  it  up  last  yeah, 
when  we  wanted  to  make  it  fit  Katie.  There  are 
pink  slippahs  to  match,  but  I  hoped  you'd  rathah 
weah  these.  They  make  me  think  of  Cinderella's 
glass  ones,  and  they're  twice  as  pretty." 

She  tossed  the  crystal  beaded  slippers  over  to 
Agnes  for  her  inspection.  "  Try  them  on,"  she 
urged.  "  I  want  to  see  how  you'll  look." 

In  a  few  moments  the  shabby  shoes  and  the  old 
brown  dress  lay  in  a  heap  on  the  floor  like  a  dis- 
carded chrysalis,  and  Agnes  stepped  out,  a  dazzled 
butterfly,  in  her  gorgeous  robes  of  rose  and  silver. 


"CINDERELLA"  283 

Lloyd  clasped  her  hands  ecstatically.  "  Oh, 
Agnes,  it's  lovely  I  And  it's  almost  a  perfect  fit. 
If  Miss  Sarah  can  just  take  it  up  a  little  on  the 
shouldahs,  and  change  the  collah  a  tiny  bit,  it  will 
look  as  if  it  were  made  for  you.  When  yoah  hair 
is  powdahed  and  you  have  this  little  bunch  of 
plumes  in  it,  you'll  be  simply  perfect.  It  doesn't 
mattah  if  the  slippahs  do  pinch  a  little.  They  look 
so  pretty  you  can  stand  a  little  thing  like  that  for 
one  evening." 

Lloyd  walked  around  and  around  her,  till  she 
had  admired  her  to  her  heart's  content,  and  then 
led  her  away  to  show  to  Mrs.  Sherman.  "  You 
ought  to1  carry  yoah  head  that  way  all  the  time," 
she  said.  "  It's  becoming  to  you  to  '  walk  proud/ 
as  old  Mammy  Easter  used  to  say." 

It  was  with  the  air  of  a  duchess  that  Agnes  sailed 
into  the  drawing-room,  and  with  the  feeling  that 
at  last  she  had  come  into  her  own.  On  every  side 
the  dim  old  mirrors  flashed  back  the  reflection  of 
the  slender  figure  with  its  head  proudly  high.  She 
looked  at  it  curiously,  scarcely  recognizing  the  deli- 
cate, high-bred  features  for  her  own.  There  was 
colour  in  her  face  for  one  thing.  The  dull  browns 
and  grays,  which  she  wore  for  economy's  sake,  were 
apt  to  make  her  look  sallow.  But  this  wonderful 


284  LITTLE  COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

rose-pink  lent  a  glow  to  her  cheeks,  and  pleasure 
and  expectancy  brightened  her  eyes,  and  left  her 
a-tingle  with  these  new  sensations. 

"You'll  be  the  feature  of  the  occasion,"  Mrs. 
Sherman  assured  her.  "  Come  up  to  lunch  with 
us  Thursday.  We'll  powder  your  hair  and  help 
you  dress,  and  take  you  down  in  the  carriage  with 
us.  Tell  your  sisters  that  we'll  see  that  you  get 
home  safely  that  night." 

So  to  the  other  pleasures  of  the  twenty-sec- 
ond was  added  the  undreamed-of  delight  of  be- 
ing invited  out  to  lunch,  and  forgetting  for 
awhile  that  there  were  such  tiresome  things  in  the 
world  as  sewing-machines  and  endless  ruffling  for 
other  people.  Although  she  wore  her  old  brown 
dress,  darned  at  the  elbows,  and,  with  her  usual 
timidity,  scarcely  ventured  a  remark  at  the  table 
unless  directly  questioned,  she  was  all  aglow  with 
the  new  experience. 

Afterward  it  was  easy  to  talk  and  laugh  with 
Lloyd,  as  they  went  through  the  conservatory  cut- 
ting the  flowers  which  were  to  decorate  the  tables 
at  The  Beeches.  Hyacinths  and  lilies-of-the-valley 
made  a  spring-time  of  their  own  under  the  sheltering 
skylight.  Agnes  bent  over  them  with  a  cry  of  de- 
light. "  They  make  you  forget  the  calendar,  don't 


«  CINDERELLA  "  285 

they  ?  "  she  said,  looking  shyly  up  at  Lloyd.  She 
wanted  to  add,  "  And  so  do  you.  You  make  me 
forget  that  I  am  ten  years  older  than  you.  It  seems 
only  pussy-willow  time  by  my  feelings  to-day." 
But  their  friendship  was  too  new  as  yet  for  such 
personal  speeches. 

As  they  went  back  to  the  drawing-room  with 
a  basket  piled  full  of  hothouse  Viooms,  Mrs.  Sher- 
man called  to  Lloyd  that  she  needed  her  up-stairs 
a  few  moments.  Hastily  excusing  herself,  she  left 
Agnes  with  a  new  magazine  for  her  entertainment. 
When  she  came  down  later,  the  magazine  was  lying 
uncut  on  the  table,  and  Agnes,  seated  in  front  of 
the  piano,  was  fingering  the  keys  with  light  touches 
which  made  no  sound,  they  pressed  the  ivory  so 
gently.  She  started  guiltily  as  Lloyd  came  in. 

"  I  couldn't  help  it !  "  she  stammered.  "  It  drew 
me  over  here  like  a  magnet.  It  has  been  the  dream 
of  my  life  to  know  how  to  play,  but  it  is  all  such 
a  mystery.  I've  puzzled  over  the  music  in  the 
hymn-book  many  a  time,  the  little  notes  flying  up 
and  down  like  birds  through  a  fence,  and  then 
watched  Miss  Allison's  fingers  on  the  organ  keys, 
going  up  and  down  the  same  way." 

"  It  is  just  as  easy  as  reading  the  alphabet,"  said 


286  LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

Lloyd.  "  I'll  show  you.  Wait  till  I  find  my  old 
music  primer.  It  is  somewhere  in  this  cabinet." 

Hastily  turning  over  the  exercise  books  and  worn 
sheets  of  music  that  filled  one  of  the  lower  shelves, 
she  dragged  out  an  old  dog-eared  instruction  book, 
which  she  propped  up  on  the  rack  in  front  of  Agnes. 

"  Heah,"  she  slid,  pointing  to  a  note.  "  When 
one  of  those  little  birds,  as  you  call  them,,  perches 
on  this  place  on  the  fence,  then  you're  to  strike 
the  A  key  on  the  piano.  If  it  lights  on  the  line 
just  above  it,  then  you  strike  the  next  key,  B. 
See?"  She  ran  her  fingers  lightly  up  the  octavo 
and  began  again  with  A.  Agnes  leaned  hungrily 
over  the  page,  reading  the  printed  directions  below 
each  simple  measure,  where  the  fingering  was 
plainly  marked. 

"  Oh,  I  could  learn  to  do  it  by  studying  this ! " 
she  cried,  her  face  all  alight.  "  I  am  sure  I  could. 
I  don't  mean  that  I  could  ever  learn  to  play  as  you 
do,  or  Miss  Allison,  but  I  could  learn  simple  things 
and  the  accompaniments  to  old  songs  that  Marietta 
loves.  It  would  be  almost  as  great  a  joy  to  her 
and  sister  Sarah  as  it  would  to  me,  for  my  learn- 
ing to  play  has  always  been  one  of  our  favourite 
air-castles.  If  you  could  loan  me  this  instruction 
book  for  awhile  —  "  She  hesitated. 


"  CINDERELLA  n  287 

"  Of  co'se ! "  cried  Lloyd,  thrilled  by  the  eager- 
ness of  the  eyes  which  met  hers.  "  I'll  give  you 
a  lesson  right  now,  if  you  like.  I'll  teach  you 
a  set  of  chords  you  can  use  for  an  accompaniment. 
They  are  so  easy  you  can  learn  them  befoah  you 
go  home,  and  you  can  surprise  Miss  Marietta  by 
singing  and  playing  for  her.  They  fit  evah  so  many 
of  the  ballads." 

Turning  the  leaves  of  the  instructor,  she  found 
the  simple  chords  of  "  Annie  Laurie,"  and  wrote 
beside  each  note  the  letters  that  would  enable  Agnes 
to  find  them  on  the  keyboard.  "  This  isn't  the 
right  way  to  begin,"  she  said,  with  a  laugh,  "  but 
we'll  take  this  short  cut  just  to  surprise  Miss  Mari- 
etta. You  can  come  back  aftahward  and  learn 
about  time  and  all  the  othah  things  that  ought  to 
come  first.  I'll  give  you  a  lesson  every  week  for 
awhile,  if  you  like." 

The  eyes  that  met  hers  now  were  brimming  with 
happy  tears. 

"  If  I  like,"  Agnes  repeated,  with  a  tremulous 
catch  of  the  voice.  "  As  if  I  wouldn't  jump  at  the 
chance  to  have  the  key  to  paradise  put  into  my 
hands.  It's  the  happiest  thing  that  ever  happened 
to  me." 

With  her  heart  as  well  as  her  whole  attention 


288   LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

given  to  the  effort,  it  was  not  long  before  Agnes 
found. her  fingers  falling  naturally  into  place,  and 
she  played  the  chords  over  and  over,  humming  the 
tune  softly,  with  a  pleasure  that  was  pathetic  to 
Lloyd. 

"Oh,  I  could  keep  on  all  day  and  all  night!" 
exclaimed  Agnes,  when  Mrs.  Sherman  called  to 
them  that  it  was  time  to  dress.  "  I've  never  been 
so  happy  in  all  my  life!  You  don't  know  what  it 
means  to  me!"  she  cried,  turning  a  radiant  face 
to  Lloyd's.  "  You've  lifted  me  clear  off  the  earth. 
I  wish  I  could  run  home  before  the  reception  begins 
and  play  this  for  Marietta.  I  want  to  see  her  face 
when  I  open  the  old  piano." 

Lloyd  followed  her  up  the  stairs,  wondering  at 
the  girl's  uplifted  mood.  She  did  not  see  how  such 
a  trifle  could  bring  about  such  a  transformation 
in  any  one's  spirits,  not  realizing  that  this  bit  of 
knowledge  which  Agnes  had  picked  up  was  to  her 
a  veritable  key  which  would  open  the  door  she  had 
longed  for  years  to  enter. 

'  When  Agnes  swept  into  the  house  at  The 
Beeches,  she  was  in  such  high  spirits  that  people 
looked  twice  to  be  sure  that  they  knew  the  radiant 
girl  presiding  so  gaily  over  the  fancy-work  table. 

"  She  is   actually  talking,"   Miss   McGill  whis- 


«  CINDERELLA  »  2  89 

pered  to  Libbie  Simms.  "  Talking  and  laughing 
and  making  jokes  like  other  girls.  Somebody  has 
surely  worked  a  hoodoo  charm  on  her." 

But  happiness  was  the  only  hoodoo,  and,  under 
its  expanding  influence,  she  fairly  bloomed  that 
night.  Lloyd,  hovering  near  her,  jubilant  over  the 
success  of  her  popular  Cinderella,  beamed  and  dim- 
pled with  pleasure,  and  stored  away  the  many  com- 
pliments she  overheard,  to  repeat  to  Agnes  next 
day.  Once  she  darted  into  the  butler's  pantry, 
where  Miss  Allison  was  slicing  cake,  to  announce, 
in  an  excited  whisper :  "  Agnes  has  actually  had 
three  invitations  to  suppah.  She's  gone  in  now 
with  Mistah  John  Bond.  I  must  run  back  and  take 
charge  of  the  sales,  but  I  just  had  to  tell  you.  Do 
peep  in  and  see  her  there  at  the  cawnah  table,  eat- 
ing ice-cream  and  talking  away  as  if  she'd  been 
used  to  such  attentions  all  her  life.  Isn't  it  great? 
.Now  people  can't  shake  their  heads  and  say  poah 
girl,  she's  nevah  had  any  attentions  like  othah  girls. 
Nobody  takes  any  interest  in  her." 

Miss  Allison  turned  to  give  Lloyd's  cheek  a  play- 
ful pinch.  "  You  dear  little  fairy  godmother !  All 
Cranford  will  take  an  interest  in  her,  now  that  she 
has  blossomed  out  so  unexpectedly.  Even  old  Mr. 
Wade,  who  never  says  nice  things  about  any  one, 


2QO  LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

asked  me  who  our  distinguished-looking  guest  was, 
and,  when  I  told  him  Agnes  Waring,  he  fairly 
gasped  and  dropped  his  eye-glasses.  Then  he  gave 
his  usual  contemptuous  sniff  that  always  makes 
me  want  to  shake  him,  and  walked  away,  saying: 
*  Who'd  have  thought  it!  Well,  well,  fine  feathers 
certainly  do  make  fine  birds ! ' ' 

Lloyd  hurried  back  to  her  place  behind  the  fancy- 
work  table.  Nearly  every  one  was  out  in  the  room 
where  supper  was  being  served,  and  except  for  an 
occasional  question  from  some  one  who  strolled  by 
to  ask  the  price  of  a  laundry-bag  or  a  hemstitched 
centrepiece,  no  one  disturbed  her.  To  the  music 
of  mandolin,  guitar,  and  piano,  played  softly  behind 
the  palms  in  one  corner,  she  went  on  with  her  pleas- 
ing day-dreams  for  Agnes.  She  would  make  other 
opportunities  for  her  next  week,  take  her  in  town 
to  a  concert  or  a  matinee.  She  wished  she  could 
offer  her  clothes,  but  she  dared  not  take  that  step. 
There  would  be  the  Waring  pride  to  reckon  with 
if  she  did. 

In  the  midst  of  this  reverie,  Agnes  came  up  all 
a-flutter,  saying,  shyly :  "  Lloyd,  would  you  mind 
if  I  didn't  go  back  in  the  carriage  with  you?  Your 
mother  wouldn't  think  it  strange,  would  she?  It 
was  because  I  had  no  other  way  to  get  home  that 


"  CINDERELLA  "  29 1 

she  invited  me.  But  Mr.  Bond  has  asked  to  take 
me  home  behind  his  new  team.  He  wants  me  to 
see  what  fine  travellers  his  horses  are." 

"Of  co'se  mothah  wouldn't  think  it  strange ! " 
exclaimed  Lloyd.  "  Especially  if  it  is  Mistah  Bond 
who  wants  to  take  you.  She  and  Papa  Jack  are 
so  fond  of  him." 

"  He  wants  me  to  join  the  choir,"  Agnes  went 
on,  in  a  lower  tone,  as  a  group  of  people  crowded 
around  the  table.  "  Mrs.  Walton  and  Mrs.  Mal- 
lard and  Miss  Flora  Marks  have  asked  me  also. 
I've  pinched  myself  black  and  blue  this  evening, 
trying  to  make  sure  that  I  am  awake.  Oh,  Lloyd, 
you'll  never,  never  know  how  I  have  enjoyed  it 
all." 

There  was  no  time  for  further  conversation  then. 
People  were  beginning  to  leave,  and  were  crowding 
around  the  table  to  claim  the  articles  they  had  pur- 
chased earlier  in  the  evening.  But  it  was  not  neces- 
sary for  Agnes  to  repeat  that  she  was  radiantly 
happy.  It  showed  in  every  word  and  laugh  and 
gesture.  Lloyd  went  home  that  night  nearer  to 
the  Castle  of  Content  than  she  had  been  for  many 
weeks. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

A   HARD  -  EARNED   PEARL 

THE  reaction  came  next  day,  however,  when  a 
budget  of  letters  from  the  girls  turned  her  thoughts 
back  to  all  that  she  was  missing.  Betty  was  room- 
ing with  Juliet  Lynn  now,  and  they  were  writing 
a  play  together  in  spare  minutes.  Allison  had  had 
honourable  mention  three  times  in  the  Studio  Bulle- 
tin, and  a  number  of  her  sketches  had  been  chosen 
for  display  on  the  studio  walls.  Kitty  had  sur- 
prised them  all  by  the  interest  she  had  suddenly 
taken  in  French,  and  had  translated  a  poem  so 
cleverly  that  Monsieur  Blanc  had  sent  it  home  for 
publication  in  a  Paris  paper.  The  work  was  so 
interesting  now,  Betty  wrote,  and  the  time  so  full, 
Warwick  Hall  grew  daily  more  inspiring  and  more 
dear. 

The  old  ache  came  back  to  Lloyd  as  she  read. 
She  felt  that  she  had  fallen  hopelessly  behind  the 
others.  She  was  so  utterly  left  out  of  all  their 


A   HARD-EARNED   PEARL  2Q3 

successes.  The  little  efforts  she  had  made  to  fill 
her  days  with  things  worth  while  suddenly  shriv- 
elled into  nothing,  and  she  sat  with  the  letters  in 
her  lap,  staring  moodily  into  vacancy. 

"What's  the  use?"  she  sobbed.  "All  that  I 
can  do  heah  doesn't  amount  to  a  row  of  pins.  I 
am  out  of  it." 

Thinking  of  Warwick  Hall  and  the  girls  and 
all  that  she  was  missing,  she  sat  pitying  herself 
until  the  tears  began  to  come.  She  let  them  trickle 
slowly  down  her  face  without  attempting  to  wipe 
them  away  or  fight  them  back.  Nobody  was  there 
to  see,  and  she  could  be  as  miserable  as  she  chose. 
In  the  midst  of  her  gloomy  reverie  she  heard  the 
door-bell  ring. 

Dabbing  her  handkerchief  over  her  eyes,  she 
started  across  the  room  to  make  her  escape  up- 
stairs before  Mom  Beck  could  open  the  front  door. 
But  she  was  too  late.  As  she  pushed  aside  the  por- 
tieres, she  hear  Agnes  Waring  ask  if  she  were  at 
home,  and  Mom  Beck  immediately  ushered  her  in. 

"  I  came  to  bring  the  costume  back,"  she  began, 
hurriedly.  "  No,  I  must  not  sit  down,  thank  you. 
I  am  on  my  way  to  Mrs.  Moore's  to  fit  a  lining. 
But  I  just  had  to  stop  by  and  tell  you  what  a  lovely 
time  I  had  yesterday  and  last  night.  You  should 


294   LITTLE    COLONEL'S   CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

have  seen  Marietta's  face  this  morning  when  I 
opened  the  piano  and  played  and  sang  for  her. 
The  tears  just  rolled  down  her  face,  but  it  was 
because  we  were  so  happy. 

"  She  said  she  had  been  afraid  that  I  would  grow 
morose  and  bitter  because  I  had  so  few  pleasures, 
and  she  is  so  glad  about  the  music  lessons  and  my 
joining  the  choir.  Mr.  Bond  is  going  to  come  by 
for  me  next  Friday  night.  Sister  Sarah  said  she 
had  no  idea  that  colours  could  make  such  a  differ- 
ence in  one  till  she  saw  me  in  that  costume.  She 
has  been  looking  over  the  silk  quilt  pieces  your 
mother  sent  Marietta,  and  she  recognized  two  pieces 
that  are  parts  of  dresses  your  grandmother  used 
to  wear.  One  is  a  deep  rich  red,  —  a  regular  garnet 
colour,  and  the  other  is  sapphire  blue.  She  said 
that  if  they  had  belonged  to  any  one  else  but  Aman- 
this  Lloyd  she  couldn't  do  it,  —  but  instead  of  cut- 
ting them  up  into  quilt  pieces  she  —  she  is  going 
to  make  them  into  shirt-waists  for  me." 

The  colour  deepened  in  Agnes's  face  as  she  made 
the  confession,  with  an  unconscious  lifting  of  the 
head  that  made  Lloyd  remember  Mrs.  Bisbee's  re- 
mark about  the  Waring  pride.  She  hastened  to 
say  something  to  cover  the  awkward  pause  that 
followed. 


A   HARD-EARNED  PEARL  295 

"  Grandmothah  Amanthis  and  Miss  Sarah  were 
such  good  friends,  even  if  there  was  so  much  dif- 
ference in  their  ages.  I  know  she  would  be  glad 
for  you  to  use  the  silk  that  way.  Looking  pretty 
in  it  and  having  good  times  in  it  seems  a  bettah 
way  to  use  it  as  a  remembrance  of  her  than  putting 
it  into  a  quilt,  doesn't  it?" 

Then,  to  change  the  subject,  which  disconcerted 
her  more  than  it  did  Agnes,  she  held  up  the  pack- 
age of  letters. 

"  I  heard  from  the  girls  to-day,  and  they  are  all 
getting  on  so  beautifully,  and  making  such  good 
records,  that  it  neahly  breaks  my  hah't  to  think 
I  can't  be  with  them."  She  laughed  nervously. 
"  I  suppose  you  wondahed  what  made  my  eyes  so 
red,  when  you  came  in.  I've  been  regularly  howl- 
ing. I  couldn't  help  it.  I  sat  heah  thinking  about 
deah  old  Warwick  Hall,  and  all  that  I  had  to  give 
up,  till  I  was  so  misahable  I  had  to  cry." 

Agnes,  turning  toward  the  window  so  that  her 
face  could  not  be  seen,  looked  out  at  the  bare 
branches  of  the  locusts. 

"I  wonder,"  she  began,  slowly,  "if  it  would 
make  any  difference  to  you  —  if  it  would  make  your 
disappointment  any  easier  to  bear  —  to  know  how 
much  your  being  in  the  Valley  this  winter  has 


296  LITTLE  COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

meant  to  me.  Fifty  years  from  now  one  term  more 
or  less  in  your  studies  won't  amount  to  much.  It 
will  not  count  much  then  that  you've  solved  a  few 
more  problems  in  algebra,  or  learned  a  little  more 
French,  or  fallen  behind  the  others  in  a  few  credit 
marks,  but  it  will  make  all  the  difference  in  the 
world  to  me  that  you  were  here  to  open  a  door 
for  me. 

"  If  you've  done  nothing  more  than  give  me  that 
one  music  lesson,  it  has  showed  me  the  possibility 
of  all  that  I  may  accomplish,  and  started  me  on  the 
road  to  my  heart's  desire.  If  you've  done  no  more 
than  prove  to  me  that  I  can  conquer  my  timidity 
and  be  like  other  girls,  and  accept  the  little  pleas- 
ures just  at  hand  for  the  taking,  don't  you  see  that 
you  have  opened  up  a  way  for  me  that  I  never  could 
have  found  alone?  And  to  do  that  for  any  one, 
why,  it's  like  teaching  him  a  song  that  he  will  teach 
to  some  one  else,  and  that  one  will  go  on  repeating, 
and  the  next  and  the  next,  until  you've  started  some- 
thing that  never  stops.  If  I  were  making  up  the 
accounts  in  the  Hereafter,  I  am  very  sure  I'd  count 
it  more  to  your  credit,  —  the  unselfish  way  you  are 
helping  people  than  all  the  lessons  you  could  learn 
in  a  term  at  school.  I  am  not  saying  half  what  I 
feel.  I  couldn't  It  is  too  deep  down.  But,  oh, 


A   HARD -EARNED  PEARL  2C)J 

I  do  want  you  to  know  that  your  disappointment 
has  not  all  been  in  vain." 

The  voice  that  uttered  the  last  sentence  was 
tremulous  with  feeling.  Tears  were  very  near  the 
surface  now.  Before  Lloyd  could  think  of  any 
reply  to  her  impetuous  speech,  she  had  started 
toward  the  door. 

"  Mrs.  Moore  will  wonder  what  is  keeping  me," 
she  said,  as  she  turned  the  knob.  "  Good-bye ! " 

With  a  lighter  heart  than  Lloyd  could  have  be- 
lieved possible  half  an  hour  earlier,  she  went  up  to 
her  room.  Dropping  the  damp  little  ball  of  a  hand- 
kerchief into  her  laundry-bag,  she  opened  a  drawer 
for  a  fresh  one.  By  mistake  she  drew  out,  not 
her  handkerchief-box,  but  one  that  in  some  pre- 
vious haste  had  been  pushed  into  its  place,  —  the 
sandalwood  box  containing  the  pearl  beads.  She 
took  up  the  uncompleted  rosary  and  began  slipping 
the  beads  back  and  forth  over  the  string,  —  the 
string  that  would  have  been  two-thirds  full  by  this 
time  if  she  could  have  gone  on  with  school  work. 
Suddenly  she  looked  at  it  with  widening  eyes. 

"  I  wondah,"  she  said  aloud,  "  I  wondah  if  I 
couldn't  slip  one  moah  on  for  yestahday.  She  said 
herself  that  it  ought  to  count  for  moah  than  school 
work.  In  a  way  she  said  it  was  like  making  '  un- 


298   LITTLE  COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

dying  music  in  the  world.'  And  what  was  it  old 
Bishop  Chartley  said  at  the  carol  service?"  She 
stood  with  a  little  pucker  on  her  forehead,  trying 
to  recall  his  words  about  keeping  the  White 
Feast. 

"  So  may  we  offer  our  pearls,  days  unstained  by 
selfishness."  That  was  it.  She  could  go  on  with 
her  rosary  then,  and,  instead  of  perfect  lessons  at 
school,  she  could  fill  the  string  in  token  of  days 
spent  unselfishly  at  home.  Days  not  stained  by 
regrets  and  tears  and  idle  repining  for  what  could 
not  be  helped. 

With  a  deep  sigh  of  satisfaction,  she  slipped  one 
more  pearl  bead  down  the  string,  and  laid  it  back 
in  the  box. 

"That  is  for  yestahday.  I  can't  count  to-day, 
for  I  sat  for  an  houah  thinking  about  my  troubles 
and  pitying  myself  and  making  myself  just  as  mis- 
ahable  as  possible." 

So  the  little  string  began  to  grow  again,  and, 
though  she  was  half-ashamed  of  the  childish  pleas- 
ure it  gave  her,  it  did  help  when  she  could  see  every 
night  a  visible  token  that  she  had  tried  to  live  that 
day  through  unselfishly  and  well,  —  that  she  had 
kept  tryst  with  the  duty  of  cheerfulness  which  we 
all  owe  the  world. 


SHE    RODE    OVER    TO    ROLLINGTON 


A    HARD-EARNED  PEARL  299 

But  not  all  her  pearls  were  earned  as  easily  as 
the  one  that  marked  her  efforts  for  Agnes.  One 
day,  when  she  rode  over  to  Rollington  with  some 
illustrated  magazines  for  the  Crisp  children,  she 
was  met  by  an  announcement  from  Minnie,  the 
oldest  one,  who  had  charge  of  the  family  in  her 
mother's  absence. 

"  Mis'  Perkins  said  I  was  to  tell  you  she  didn't 
see  why  folks  passed  her  by  when  she  liked  wine 
jelly  and  good  things  just  as  well  as  some  other 
people  she  knew." 

"Who  is  Mrs.  Perkins?"  asked  Lloyd,  aston- 
ished by  such  a  message. 

Minnie  nodded  her  towhead  toward  a  weather- 
beaten  house  of  two  rooms  across  the  street.  "  She 
lives  over  there.  She's  sick  most  of  the  time.  She 
saw  you  cooking  in  our  kitchen  that  day  that  you 
came  and  got  dinner,  and  ma  sent  her  over  a  piece 
of  the  pie  you  made,  and  she's  been  sort  of  sniffy 
ever  since,  because  nobody  does  such  things  for 
her." 

Minnie  seemed  so  anxious  that  Lloyd  should 
include  Mrs.  Perkins  in  her  visit  that  finally  Lloyd 
agreed  to  be  escorted  over  to  see  her.  Wrapping 
the  baby  in  a  shawl,  and  staggering  along  under 
its  weight,  Minnie  ordered  the  other  children  to 


300  LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

stay  where  they  were,  and  led  the  way  across  the 
street. 

The  tilt  of  Lloyd's  dainty  nose,  as  she  went  in, 
said  more  plainly  than  words,  "  Poah  white  trash !  " 
For  the  house  had  a  stuffy  smell  of  liniment  and 
bacon  grease.  An  old  woman  came  forward  to 
meet  them  in  her  stocking  feet  and  a  dirty  woollen 
wrapper.  Her  uncombed  gray  hair  straggled 
around  her  ears,  and  her  wrinkled  face  was  un- 
washed and  grimy.  Lloyd  was  thankful  that  she 
did  not  offer  to  shake  hands.  She  sat  down  on 
the  edge  of  a  chair,  breathing  the  stuffy  air  as 
sparingly  as  possible. 

She  had  always  been  taught  that  old  age  must 
be  respected,  no  matter  how  unlovely,  and  as  Mrs. 
Perkins  counted  her  aches  and  pains  in  a  weak, 
whining  voice,  pity  got  the  better  of  Lloyd's  dis- 
gust. She  began  to  feel  sorry  for  this  poor  old 
creature,  for  whom  no  one  else  seemed  to  have  any 
sympathy.  She  complained  bitterly  of  her  neigh- 
bours and  the  church-members  who  professed  to 
be  so  charitable,  but  who  left  her  to  suffer. 

Then  she  praised  the  lemon  pie  that  Lloyd  had 
made,  until  Lloyd  gladly  promised  to  make  one 
for  her.  "  I'll  bring  it  down  the  last  of  the  week," 
she  promised,  later,  when  she  rose  to  go,  and  Mrs. 


A  HARD-EARNED  PEARL  30* 

Perkins  introduced  the  subject  again.  But  that 
was  not  what  the  old  woman  wanted. 

"  Why  can't  you  come  down  here  and  make  it 
in  my  kitchen  ?  "  she  whined,  "  same  as  you  did 
in  Mrs.  Crisp's.  I  get  dreadful  lonesome  setting 
here,  and  it  would  be  so  much  company  to  see  you 
whisking  around  beating  eggs  and  rolling  out 
the  crust.  Then  I  could  smell  it  baking,  and  eat 
it  hot  out  of  the  oven.  It's  been  many  a  long  day 
since  I've  done  a  thing  like  that.  It  makes  my 
mouth  water,  just  thinking  of  it." 

"  Certainly  I  could  do  it  heah,  if  you  would 
like  it  bettah,"  promised  Lloyd,  rashly.  "  Is  there 
anything  I  can  do  for  you  befoah  I  go  ?  " 

"  Yes,  there  is,"  was  the  ready  answer.  "  I 
didn't  eat  much  dinner,  and  I'm  that  weak  and 
faint  I'd  like  if  you'd  make  me  a  cup  of  tea." 

"  Certainly,"  answered  Lloyd  again.  "  If  you'll 
just  tell  me  where  to  find  things." 

"  I'll  be  going  on,"  said  Minnie  Crisp,  begin- 
ning to  wrap  the  baby  up  in  its  shawl  again. 
"  Those  kids  will  be  turning  the  house  upside 
down  if  I'm  not  there  to  watch  them." 

Nobody  paid  any  attention  to  her  departure,  for 
Lloyd,  hanging  her  coat  over  the  back  of  a  dusty 


302  LITTLE  COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

chair,  had  gone  into  the  kitchen  before  Minnie 
finished  making  a  woollen  mummy  of  the  baby. 

"  The  tea  is  in  a  paper  bag  in  the  corner  cup- 
board," called  Mrs.  Perkins.  "  Mrs.  Moore  sent 
it  to  me.  It's  green  tea,  and  I  never  did  care  for 
any  kind  but  black.  I'd  pretty  nigh  as  soon  have 
none  as  green.  You  might  poach  me  an  egg,  too, 
if  you  feel  like  it,  and  make  a  bit  of  toast." 

With  a  shiver  of  disgust,  Lloyd  looked  around 
her.  Everything  was  dirty.  She  wished  she  dared 
run  across  the  street  and  prepare  the  lunch  in  Mrs. 
Crisp's  immaculate  kitchen.  There  everything 
shone  from  repeated  scrubbings  with  soft  soap  and 
sand.  She  enjoyed  cooking  over  there.  As  she 
opened  the  cupboard  door  a  roach  ran  out,  and 
she  jumped  aside  with  another  shiver  of  disgust. 
She  wanted  a  pan  in  which  to  poach  the  egg,  but 
nothing  looked  clean  enough  to  use.  Finally  she 
chose  a  battered  saucepan,  but  dropped  it  when 
she  discovered  that  a  spider  had  woven  a  web  in- 
side. 

Spiders  had  always  been  an  abomination  to 
Lloyd.  It  made  her  feel  cold  and  creepy  to  touch 
a  cobweb.  But  the  story  of  Ederyn  flashed  through 
her  thoughts,  and  she  grasped  the  pan,  determined 
to  use  it  or  die  in  the  effort.  She  had  started  and 


A  HARD-EARNED  PEARL  303 

she  would  not  turn  back.  It  was  plainly  her  duty 
to  minister  to  the  wants  of  this  complaining  old 
invalid  whom  others  neglected,  and  she  would  keep 
tryst  at  any  cost.  With  many  an  inward  shudder 
she  went  on  with  her  task.  As  the  water  in  the 
kettle  was  already  steaming,  it  was  not  long  before 
the  lunch  was  ready,  and  she  carried  it  in. 

"  It's  simply  impossible  for  me  to  come  and  make 
the  pie  in  this  dirty  kitchen,"  thought  Lloyd,  "  and 
I  can't  tell  her  so.  Maybe  I  could  ask  Mrs.  Crisp 
to  invite  her  ovah  and  she  could  see  it  done 
there." 

While  she  worried  over  the  problem  of  introduc- 
ing the  subject  tactfully,  Mrs.  Perkins  herself 
opened  the  way.  She  hadn't  been  well  enough  to 
do  any  cleaning  for  several  weeks,  she  said.  If 
she  could  get  a  little  stronger,  she  intended  to  do 
two  things :  to  slick  up  the  place  a  bit,  and  to  go 
on  a  visit  to  Jane  O'Grady's  up  near  the  black 
bridge.  She  had  been  wanting  to  spend  the  day 
with  Jane  all  winter,  but  didn't  have  any  way  to 
get  there.  It  was  too  far  to  walk.  Lloyd  saw  her 
opportunity  and  seized  it. 

"  Why,  mothah  will  send  the  carriage  for  you, 
Mrs.  Perkins,  any  day  you  set.  She'd  be  glad  to. 
Alec  can  drive  you  ovah  early  in  the  mawning, 


304  LITTLE   COLONEUS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

when  he  is  out  for  the  marketing,  and  go  for  you 
befoah  dah'k." 

"Then  you  may  send  to-morrow,"  said  Mrs. 
Perkins,  ungraciously.  "  I  don't  want  to  risk  put- 
ting it  off.  Folks  usually  forget  such  promises 
overnight.  So  I'd  best  make  sure  of  it." 

Lloyd  flushed  angrily,  but  the  next  instant  ex- 
cused the  old  woman's  rudeness  on  the  score  of 
her  ill  health.  She  had  a  plan  that  she  was  anxious 
to  carry  out,  and  she  hurried  home  to  begin,  all 
a-tingle  with  her  charitable  impulses.  She  was  sur- 
prised that  her  mother  should  treat  it  so  lightly. 

"  Of  course  you  can  have  the  carriage,"  said 
Mrs.  Sherman.  "  But,  my  good  little  Samaritan, 
I  must  warn  you.  That  old  woman  is  a  pauper  in 
spirit.  She  hasn't  a  particle  of  proper  pride.  Peo- 
ple have  done  too  much  for  her.  She'll  take  all 
she  can  get,  and  grumble  because  it  isn't  more.  So 
you  mustn't  be  disappointed  if,  instead  of  thanks, 
you  get  only  criticism." 

But  Lloyd,  full  of  the  zeal  of  a  true  reformer, 
danced  down  to  the  servants'  quarters  to  find  May 
Lily,  one  of  the  cook's  grandchildren.  May  Lily, 
a  neat-looking  coloured  girl  of  seventeen,  had  been 
one  of  Lloyd's  most  loyal  followers  since  they  made 
mud  pies  together  on  the  Colonel's  white  door-steps, 


A  HARD-EARNED  PEARL  305 

and  the  readiness  to  serve  her  now  was  prompted 
not  so  much  by  the  promised  dollar  as  the  desire  to 
still  follow  her  lead.  So  next  morning,  soon  after 
Mrs.  Perkins's  departure  in  the  Sherman  carriage, 
a  mighty  revolution  began  in  the  house  she  left 
behind  her. 

May  Lily,  strong  and  willing,  went  to  work  like 
a  small  cyclone.  Under  Lloyd's  direction,  she 
swept  and  scrubbed  and  scoured.  The  bed  was 
aired,  the  stove  was  blacked,  the  windows  washed, 
the  tins  polished  till  they  shone  like  new.  By  four 
o'clock  not  a  cobweb  or  a  speck  of  dust  was  to 
be  seen  in  either  room.  Lloyd  sat  down  to  wait 
for  Mrs.  Perkins's  return.  She  felt  that  it  was 
safe  to  breathe  now,  and  she  did  not  have  to  sit 
gingerly  on  the  edge  of  the  chair.  Every  piece  of 
furniture  had  been  washed  and  rubbed.  She  could 
keep  her  promise  about  the  pie  very  comfortably 
now.  Everything  smelled  so  clean  and  wholesome 
to  her  that  she  was  sure  that  Mrs.  Perkins  would 
notice  the  change  at  once  and  be  pleased. 

Mrs.  Perkins  did  notice  the  change  the  moment 
she  entered  the  door,  but  it  was  with  a  displeased 
face.  "Hm!  Hm !"  she  sniffed.  "  Smells  might- 
ily of  soft  soap  in  here.  What  have  you  been  do- 


306   LITTLE    COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

ing?    I  never  could  bear  the  smell  of  soft  soap  or 
lye.    Hm!    Hm!" 

Then  she  turned  accusingly  on  Lloyd.  "  Didn't 
you  know  better  than  to  put  stove-blacking  on  that 
stove?  When  it  gets  het  up,  it  will  smoke  to  fare- 
ye-well,  and  start  my  asthma  to  going  again  full  tilt. 
Some  folks  are  mighty  thoughtless,  never  have  no 
consideration  for  other  people." 

Lloyd  shrank  back,  almost  overcome  by  such  a 
reception.  It  was  like  a  dash  of  cold  water  in  her 
face.  She  was  angry  and  indignant. 

"Well,"  continued  Mrs.  Perkins,  still  sniffing 
around  the  room,  as  she  put  her  bonnet  and  shawl 
away.  "  Now  you're  here  I'd  like  it  if  you  would 
put  on  the  teakettle  and  make  me  a  good  strong 
cup  of  coffee.  Jane  O'Grady  gave  me  a  pound, 
all  parched  and  ground.  I  haven't  had  any  before 
to-day  for  weeks.  I'm  plumb  tuckered  out  with  the 
visit." 

Lloyd  hurried  to  build  up  the  fire,  thankful  that 
May  Lily  had  spent  much  time  scouring  the  old 
coffee-pot.  Otherwise  she  could  not  have  brought 
herself  to  touch  it.  It  shone  like  new  now.  As 
she  poured  the  water  into  it,  three  tiny  streams 
spurted  out  of  the  side,  hissing  and  sputtering  over 
the  stove. 


A   HARD-EARNED  PEARL  307 

"Now  just  see  what  you  done!"  scolded  Mrs. 
Perkins.  "  You  hadn't  ought  to  have  scoured  that 
coffee-pot  so.  You'd  ought  to  have  let  well  enough 
be,  for  you  might  have  known  you'd  rub  holes  in 
it  and  make  it  leak." 

"  I'll  get  you  a  new  one  in  place  of  it  at  once," 
said  Lloyd,  stiffly,  her  indignation  rising  till  she 
could  hardly  speak  calmly.  "  I'll  go  this  minute." 

There  was  a  small  grocery  store  farther  up  the 
hill,  where  a  little  of  everything  was  kept  in  stock, 
and  Lloyd  dashed  out  bareheaded,  glad  of  an  excuse 
to  cool  her  temper.  By  the  time  she  had  made  the 
coffee  in  the  new  pot,  Alec  drove  up  to  the  door 
for  her. 

"  You'll  come  again  to-morrow  to  make  that 
lemon  pie,  won't  you  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Perkins,  anx- 
iously. 

"  No,  I  can't  come  till  the  day  aftah." 

"What?  Thursday?"  was  the  impatient  an- 
swer. "  Time  drags  awful  slow  for  a  body  that 
can  only  sit  and  wait." 

"  I  have  an  engagement  to-morrow,"  said  Lloyd, 
stiffly,  remembering  it  was  the  day  for  Agnes  War- 
ing's  music  lesson.  "  But  you  can  depend  on  me 
Thursday." 

Mrs.  Sherman  only  laughed  when  Lloyd  repeated 


308   LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

her  day's  adventure  at  home,  but  the  old  Colonel 
fairly  snorted  with  indignation. 

"  Poor  white  trash !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Don't  go 
near  her  again !  " 

"  But  I  promised,"  answered  Lloyd,  dolefully. 
"  I  must  keep  my  promise." 

"  Then  tell  Cindy  to  make  a  pie,  and  let  Alec 
take  it  down,"  he  suggested. 

"  No,  she  said  she  wanted  to  smell  it  cooking, 
and  to  eat  it  hot  out  of  the  oven,  and  I  promised 
her  she  might." 

The  Colonel  glared  savagely  at  the  fire.  "  Beg- 
gars shouldn't  be  choosers,"  he  muttered,  then 
turned  to  Mrs.  Sherman.  "  Little  daughter,  are 
you  going  to  let  that  poor  child  of  yours  be  im- 
posed on  by  that  creature?" 

"  I  can't  interfere  with  her  promise,  papa,"  she 
answered.  "  It  may  be  a  disagreeable  experience, 
but  it  will  not  hurt  her  any  more  than  it  hurt  the 
old  woman  to  sweep  the  cobwebs  out  of  the  sky. 
Hers  was  a  thankless  job,  too,  but  no  doubt  she 
was  better  for  the  exercise,  and  she  must  have 
learned  a  great  deal  on  such  a  trip." 

It  was  in  the  same  spirit  in  which  Ederyn  cried, 
"  Oh,  heart  and  hand  of  mine,  keep  tryst !  Keep 
tryst  or  die !  "  that  Lloyd  gathered  up  the  necessary 


A  HARD-EARNED  PEARL  309 

materials  and  started  off  on  Thursday  to  Mrs.  Per- 
kins's cottage.  This  time  there  was  no  admiring 
audience  of  little  towheads  tiptoeing  around  the 
table,  as  there  had  been  at  Mrs.  Crisp's.  But  every- 
thing was  clean,  and,  with  her  recipe  spread  out 
before  her,  Lloyd  followed  directions  to  the  letter. 

Mrs.  Perkins,  watching  the  beating  of  eggs  and 
stirring  of  the  golden  filling,  the  deft  mixing  of 
pastry,  grew  cheerful  and  entertaining.  She  forgot 
to  complain  of  her  neighbours,  and  was  surprised 
into  the  telling  of  some  of  her  girlish  experiences 
that  actually  brought  an  amused  twinkle  to  her 
sharp  old  eyes.  Lloyd  was  vastly  entertained.  She 
had,  too,  a  virtuous  feeling  that  in  keeping  her 
promise  she  had  given  pleasure  to  one  who  rarely 
met  kindness.  It  gave  her  a  warm  inward  glow 
of  satisfaction. 

To  her  mortification,  when  she  finally  drew  the 
pie  from  the  oven,  the  meringue,  which  had  been 
like  a  snowdrift  a  moment  before,  and  which  should 
have  come  out  with  just  a  golden  glow  on  it  from 
its  short  contact  with  the  heat,  was  all  shrivelled 
and  brown. 

"The  nasty  little  oven  was  too  hot!"  cried 
Lloyd,  in  disgust. 

"Just   my  luck,"   whined    Mrs.    Perkins.     "I 


3IO   LITTLE    COLONEL 'S   CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

might  have  known  that  I'd  never  get  anything  I 
set  my  heart  on.  But  you  can  scrape  off  the  me- 
ringue, and  I'll  try  and  make  out  with  the  plain 
pie." 

Although  she  ate  generously,  she  ate  grum- 
blingly,  disappointed  because  of  the  scorched  me- 
ringue, and  it  wasn't  as  sweet  as  she  liked. 

That  night,  Lloyd,  mortified  over  her  failure, 
stood  long  with  the  white  rosary  in  her  hand. 
"  Maybe  I  ought  to  count  the  poah  pie  as  I  would 
an  imperfect  lesson,"  she  thought,  hesitating,  with 
a  bead  in  her  fingers.  Then  she  said,  defiantly: 
"  But  I  did  my  best,  and  the  day  has  certainly  been 
disagreeable  enough  to  deserve  two  pearls." 

After  another  moment  of  conscientious  weighing 
of  the  matter,  she  slipped  the  bead  slowly  down 
the  string.  "There!"  she  exclaimed.  "I  suahly 
went  through  the  black  watahs  of  Kilgore  to  get 
that  one." 

Next  day  when  she  stopped  in  Rollington  to  pay 
for  the  coffee-pot,  and  drove  by  the  Crisps'  to  ask 
about  the  baby,  Minnie  Crisp  told  her  several 
things.  Mrs.  Perkins  was  sick  all  night,  and  had 
told  her  ma  that  it  was  the  lemon  pie  that  was  the 
cause  of  the  trouble;  that  it  would  have  made  a 


A  HARD-EARNED  PEARL  31! 

dog-  sick.  "  Them  was  her  words,"  said  Minnie, 
solemnly. 

"  I  don't  wondah !  "  cried  Lloyd.  "  The  greedy 
old  thing !  There  was  enough  for  foah  people,  and 
it  was  very  rich,  and  she  ate  it  all." 

"  And  she  didn't  like  it  because  you  had  May 
Lily  scrub  and  clean  while  she  was  gone,"  added 
Minnie,  with  childlike  lack  of  tact.  "  She  talked 
about  you  dreadful  after  you  went  away.  Didn't 
she,  ma?" 

"  Shoo,  Minnie! "  answered  Mrs.  Crisp,  with  a 
wave  of  her  apron.  "  Don't  tell  all  you  know." 

"  I  didn't,"  answered  the  child.  "  I  didn't  say 
a  word  about  the  names  she  called  her,  —  meddle- 
some Matty,  and  all  that." 

Lloyd  took  her  leave  presently,  with  a  flushed 
face  and  a  sore  heart.  On  the  way  home  she 
stopped  at  The  Beeches,  and  Mrs.  Walton,  who  saw 
at  a  glance  that  something  was  wrong,  soon  drew 
out  the  story  of  her  grievance. 

"Don't  pay  any  attention  to  that  old  creature," 
she  said,  laughing  heartily,  "  and  forgive  my  laugh- 
ing. Everybody  in  the  Valley  has  had  a  similar 
experience.  The  King's  Daughters  long  ago  gave 
her  up  in  disgust.  She's  one  of  those  people  who 
doesn't  want  to  be  reformed  and  won't  stay  helped. 


312   LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

Her  house  will  be  just  as  dirty  next  week  as  when 
you  first  went  there." 

"  I  didn't  suppose  there  were  such  people  in  the 
world,"  said  Lloyd,  in  disgust. 

"  You'll  find  out  all  sorts  of  disagreeable  things 
as  you  get  older,"  sighed  Mrs.  Walton.  "  It  is  one 
of  the  penalties  of  growing  up.  But  still  it  is  good 
to  have  such  experiences,  for  the  wiser  we  grow 
the  better  we  know  how  to  '  ease  the  burden  of  the 
world,'  and  that  is  what  we  are  here  for." 

Lloyd's  eyes  widened  with  surprise.  Here  was 
another  person  quoting  from  the  poem  she  had 
learned.  She  was  glad  now  that  she  had  committed 
it  to  memory,  since  on  three  occasions  it  had  made 
people's  meaning  clearer  to  her. 

"  Yes,"  she  answered,  the  dimples  stealing  into 
her  smile.  "  But  the  next  time  I'll  find  out  first 
if  they  really  want  their  burden  eased,  and  if  that 
burden  is  dirt,  like  Mrs.  Perkins's,  I'll  suahly  let 
it  alone." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


THE  red  coat  Lloyd  wore  that  winter  was  long 
remembered  in  the  Valley,  for  wherever  it  went 
it  carried  a  bright  face  above  it,  a  cheery  greeting, 
and  some  pleasant  word  that  made  the  day  seem 
better  for  its  passing. 

Mrs.  Bisbee  and  the  little  Crisps  were  not  the 
only  ones  who  learned  to  watch  for  it.  As  all  the 
lonely  town  of  Hamelin  must  have  felt  toward  the 
one  child  left  to  it  after  the  Pied  Piper  had  passed 
through  its  streets,  so  all  the  Valley  turned  with 
tender  regard  to  the  young  girl  left  in  its  midst. 
Mothers,  whose  daughters  were  away  at  school, 
stopped  to  talk  to  her  with  affectionate  interest. 
The  old  ladies  whom  she  regularly  visited  wel- 
comed her  as  if  she  were  a  part  of  their  vanished 
youth.  The  young  ladies  took  her  under  their 
wing,  glad  to  have  her  in  the  choir  and  the  King's 
Daughters'  Circle,  for  she  was  bubbling  over  with 
girlish  enthusiasm  and  a  sincere  desire  to  help. 
313 


314   LITTLE    COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS    VACATION 

So  she  found  the  cobwebs  in  the  neighbourhood 
sky,  and  disagreeable  enough  they  were  at  times, 
even  more  disagreeable  than  her  experience  with 
Mrs.  Perkins.  •  But  she  swept  away  with  praise- 
worthy energy,  till  gradually  she  found  that  the 
accumulation  of  outside  interests,  like  the  cobweb 
strands  which  Ederyn  twisted,  made  a  rope  strong 
enough  to  lift  her  out  of  herself  and  her  dungeon 
of  disappointment. 

After  the  novelty  of  giving  music  lessons  had 
worn  off,  it  grew  to  be  a  bore.  Not  the  lessons 
themselves,  for  Agnec's  delight  in  them  never 
flagged.  It  was  the  tied-up  feeling  it  gave  her  to 
remember  that  those  afternoons  were  not  her  own. 
It  happened  so  often  that  the  afternoons  devoted 
to  Agnes  were  the  ones  which  of  all  the  week  she 
wanted  to  have  free,  and  she  had  to  give  up  many 
small  pleasures  on  account  of  them. 

It  grew  to  be  a  bore,  also,  calling  on  some  of 
the  people  who  claimed  a  weekly  visit.  She  never 
tired  of  Mrs.  Bisbee's  lively  comments  on  her  neigh- 
bours and  her  interesting  tales  about  them.  But 
there  was  old  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Apwall,  who,  with 
nothing  to  do  but  sit  on  opposite  sides  of  the  fire 
and  look  at  each  other,  were  said  to  quarrel  like 
cat  and  dog.  It  mortified  Lloyd  dreadfully  to  have 


«'  SWEE T  SIXTEEN  "  3  I  $ 

them  quarrel  in  her  presence,  and  have  them  pour 
out  their  grievances  for  her  to  decide  which  was 
in  the  wrong. 

She  always  rose  to  go  at  that  juncture,  flushed 
and  embarrassed,  and  vowing  inwardly  she  would 
never  visit  them  again.  But  they  always  managed 
to  extract  a  promise  before  she  got  to  the  door 
that  she  would  drop  in  again  the  next  time  she 
was  passing. 

"  Somehow  you  seem  to  get  husband's  mind  off 
himself,"  Mrs.  Apwall  would  whisper  at  parting. 
"  He  isn't  half  so  touchy  when  you've  cheered  him 
up  a  spell." 

And  Mr.  Apwall  would  follow  her  out  through 
the  chilly  hall  to  open  the  front  door,  and  say, 
huskily :  "  Come  again,  daughter.  Come  again. 
Your  visits  seem  tc  do  the  madam  a  world  of  good. 
They  give  her  something  to  talk  about  beside  my 
fancied  failings." 

So  inwardly  groaning,  Lloyd  would  go  again, 
painfully  alert  to  keep  the  conversation  away  from 
subjects  that  invariably  led  to  disputes.  And  in- 
wardly groaning,  she  went  dutifully  to  the  Coburns' 
at  their  repeated  requests.  The  first  few  times  the 
garrulous  old  couple  were  interesting,  but  the  most 
thrilling  tale  grows  tiresome  when  one  has  heard 


3l6  LITTLE  COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

it  a  dozen  times.  She  could  scarcely  keep  from 
fidgeting  in  her  chair  when  the  inevitable  story  of 
their  feud  with  the  Cayn  family  was  begun.  They 
never  left  out  a  single  petty  detail. 

No  one  will  ever  know  how  often  the  thought 
of  the  little  rosary  in  the  sandalwood  box  helped 
Lloyd  to  listen  patiently,  and  to  keep  tryst  with  the 
expectations  of  those  about  her,  so  that  at  night- 
fall there  might  be  another  pearl  to  slip  on  the 
silken  cord,  in  token  of  another  day  unstained  by 
selfishness. 

There  was  rarely  time  for  envying  the  girls  at 
school  now.  The  days  were  too  full.  Almost  be- 
fore it  seemed  possible,  the  locusts  were  in  bloom 
and  it  was  mid-May  by  the  calendar.  In  that  time 
perfect  health  had  come  back  to  her.  There  were 
no  more  crying  spells  now,  no  wore  hours  of  nerv- 
ous exhaustion,  of  fretful  impatience  over  trifles. 
She  went  singing  about  the  house,  with  a  colour 
in  her  cheeks  that  rivalled  the  pink  of  the  apple 
blossoms. 

"  Spring  has  come  indoors  as  well  as  out,"  said 
Mrs.  Sherman  one  morning.  "  I  think  that  we 
may  safely  count  that  your  Christmas  vacation  is 
over,  and  you  may  go  back  to  your  music  lessons 
whenever  you  choose." 


"  SWEE T  SIXTEEN  "  317 

The  night  before  her  birthday,  Lloyd  sat  with 
her  elbows  on  her  dressing-table,  peering  into  the 
mirror  with  a  very  serious  face. 

"  You'll  be  sixteen  yeahs  old  in  the  mawning, 
Lloyd  Sherman,"  she  told  the  girl  in  the  glass. 
" '  Sweet  sixteen ! '  You've  come  to  the  end  of 
lots  of  things,  and  to-morrow  it  will  be  like  going 
through  a  gate  that  you've  seen  ahead  of  you  for 
a  long,  long  time.  A  big,  wide  gate  that  you  have 
looked  forward  to  for  yeahs,  and  things  are  bound 
to  be  different  on  the  othah  side." 

Next  morning,  just  in  fun,  she  trailed  down  to 
breakfast  in  one  of  her  mother's  white  dresses,  with 
her  hair  piled  on  the  top  of  her  head.  It  was  very 
becoming  so,  but  it  made  her  look  so  tall  and 
womanly  that  she  was  sure  her  grandfather  would 
object  to  it. 

"  He'll  nevah  let  me  grow  up  if  he  can  help  it," 
she  said,  half-pouting,  as  she  gave  a  final  glance 
over  her  shoulder  at  the  mirror,  vastly  pleased  with 
her  young  ladylike  appearance.  "  He'll  say,  '  Tut, 
tut!  That's  not  grandpa's  Little  Colonel.'  But  I 
can't  stay  his  Little  Colonel  always." 

She  was  standing  by  the  window  looking  down 
the  locust  avenue  when  he  came  in  to  breakfast,  so 
she  did  not  see  his  start  of  surprise  at  sight  of  her. 


318   LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

But  his  half-whispered  exclamation,  "Amanthis!" 

told  her  why  he  failed  to  make  the  speech  she  ex- 
pected to  hear.  With  her  hair  done  high,  show- 
ing the  beautiful  curve  of  her  head  and  throat  as 
she  stood  half-turned  toward  him,  he  had  caught 
another  glimpse  of  her  startling  resemblance  to  the 
portrait.  He  could  not  regret  losing  his  Little 
Colonel  if  that  loss  were  to  give  him  a  living  re- 
minder of  a  beloved  memory. 

After  breakfast,  when  an  armful  of  birthday  gifts 
had  been  duly  admired  and  the  donors  thanked, 
and  she  had  spent  nearly  an  hour  enjoying  them, 
she  strolled  down  the  avenue,  feeling  very  much 
grown  up  with  the  long  dress  trailing  behind  her. 
She  wandered  down  to  the  entrance  gate,  hoping 
to  meet  Alec,  who  had  gone  for  the  mail.  She  was 
sure  there  would  be  a  letter  from  Betty,  for  Betty 
never  forgot  people's  birthdays.  Then  she  trailed 
back  again  under  the  white  arch  of  fragrant  locust 
blooms.  At  the  half-way  seat  she  sat  down  and 
tucked  a  spray  of  the  blossoms  into  her  hair  and 
fastened  another  at  her  belt.  She  had  not  long 
to  wait  there,  enjoying  the  freshness  of  the  sweet 
May  morning,  for  in  a  few  minutes  Alec  came 
up  the  avenue  with  a  handful  of  letters  and  papers. 


"SWEET  SIXTEEN"  319 

She  sorted  out  her  own  eagerly,  six  letters  and  a 
package. 

She  opened  Betty's  first.  It  was  a  long  one,  end- 
ing with  a  birthday  greeting  in  rhyme,  and  enclos- 
ing a  handkerchief  which  she  had  made  herself, 
sheer  and  fine  and  daintily  hemstitched,  with  her 
initials  embroidered  in  one  corner  in  the  smallest 
letters  possible. 

The  letters  from  Allison  and  Kitty  were  pro- 
fusely illustrated  all  around  the  margins,  and  by 
the  time  Lloyd  had  read  them,  and  Gay's  ridiculous 
summary  of  school  news,  she  felt  as  if  she  had  been 
on  a  visit  to  Warwick  Hall,  and  had  seen  all  the 
girls.  The  next  letter  was  from  Joyce,  a  good 
thick  one.  But  before  she  read  it,  curiosity  im- 
pelled her  to  open  the  package,  which  was  a  flat 
one,  bearing  a  foreign  postmark  and  several  Italian 
stamps.  There  were  two  photographs  inside.  She 
slipped  the  uppermost  one  from  its  envelope. 

"  Why,  it  is  Eugenia  Forbes ! "  she  exclaimed 
aloud.  "  But  how  she  has  changed !  " 

The  picture  was  not  at  all  like  the  Eugenia  whom 
Lloyd  remembered,  the  thin  slip  of  a  girl  who  had 
raced  up  and  down  the  avenue  five  years  before 
at  her  house-party.  She  had  blossomed  into  a  beau- 
tiful young  woman. 


320  LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

"A  regulah  Spanish  beauty!"  Lloyd  thought, 
as  she  looked  at  the  picture,  long  and  admiringly, 
—  the  picture  of  a  patrician  face  with  great  dark 
eyes  and  a  wealth  of  dusky  hair.  The  old  self- 
conscious,  dissatisfied  expression  was  gone.  It  was 
a  happy  face  that  smiled  back  at  her.  It  had  been 
nearly  a  year  since  Lloyd  had  had  a  letter  from 
Eugenia.  She  had  written  from  the  school  near 
Paris  that  her  father  was  on  his  way  over  from 
America  to  join  her  and  take  her  home  immediately 
after  her  graduation.  Lloyd  had  sent  a  reply  ad- 
dressed to  her  cousin  Carl's  office,  but  had  heard 
nothing  more. 

Thinking  that  the  other  photograph  was  her 
cousin  Carl's,  Lloyd  unwrapped  it,  wondering  if 
he  had  changed  as  much  as  Eugenia.  To  her  sur- 
prise, it  was  not  a  middle-aged  man  she  saw,  with 
gray  moustache  and  kindly  tired  eyes.  It  was  the 
handsome  boyish  face  of  a  stranger,  yet  so  start- 
fingly  familiar  that  she  looked  at  it  with  a  puzzled 
frown. 

"  Why  should  Eugenia  be  sending  me  this?  "  she 
thought.  "  Arid  where  have  I  seen  that  man  be- 
foah  ?  "  Then,  "  Phil  Tremont !  "  she  exclaimed 
aloud  the  next  instant.  "  That's  who  it  reminds 


- SWEET  SIXTEEN"  $21 

me  of.  It  is  almost  exactly  like  him,  only  it  is  oldah- 
looking,  and  the  nose  isn't  quite  like  his." 

She  turned  the  picture  over.  There  on  the  back 
was  written  in  Eugenia's  hand  the  word  Venice, 
and  a  date  underneath  the  name,  Stuart  Tremont. 

"  Phil's  brother !  "  gasped  Lloyd,  in  astonish- 
ment. "  How  strange  that  she  should  know  him !  " 

Tearing  open  the  envelope  lying  on  the  bench 
beside  her,  Lloyd  -infolded  a  twenty-page  letter 
from  Eugenia,  written  on  thin  blue  foreign  corre- 
spondence paper.  Before  her  glance  had  travelled 
half-way  down  the  second  page,  she  gave  another 
gasp,  and  sat  staring  at  an  underscored  sentence 
in  open-mouthed  amazement.  Then,  never  waiting 
to  gather  up  the  other  letters  which  fluttered  into 
the  grass  at  her  feet,  as  she  sprang  up,  she  rushed 
off  toward  the  house  as  hard  as  she  could  go,  wav- 
ing Eugenia's  letter  in  one  hand  and  the  photo- 
graphs in  the  other. 

"Mothah!"  she  called,  as  she  reached  the  end 
of  the  avenue.  She  was  tripping  over  her  long 
skirt,  and  scattering  hairpins  at  every  step,  as  her 
reckless  flight  sent  her  hair  tumbling  down  over 
her  shoulders. 

"  Mothah !  "  she  shrieked  again,  as  she  stumbled 
up  the  porch  steps. 


322   LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

"  Here  in  my  room,  dear,"  came  the  answer  from 
an  upper  window.  Falling  all  over  herself  in  her 
undignified  haste,  Lloyd  tore  up  the  stairs.  A  final 
tangling  of  skirts  sent  her  headlong  into  her  moth- 
er^ room,  where  she  half-fell  in  a  breathless,  laugh- 
ing heap,  and  sat  at  Mrs.  Sherman's  feet  with  her 
hair  almost  hiding  her  eager  face. 

"  Guess  what's  happened ! "  she  demanded, 
breathlessly.  "Eugenia  is  engaged!  And  to  Phil 
Tremont's  brother  Stuart !  " 

Then  she  sat  enjoying  her  mother's  surprise, 
which  was  almost  as  great  as  her  own.  "  And  she 
isn't  much  moah  than  eighteen,"  Lloyd  exclaimed, 
rocking  back  and  forth  on  the  floor,  with  her  arms 
clasped  around  her  knees,  while  her  mother  ex- 
amined the  pictures. 

"  She  looks  twenty  at  least  in  this  picture,"  an- 
swered Mrs.  Sherman,  "  even  more  than  that. 
Eugenia  was  always  old  for  her  years.  If  you 
remember,  she  was  wearing  long  dresses  when  we 
left  her  the  summer  we  were  in  Europe  together." 

"  Yes,  but  it  doesn't  seem  possible  that  Eugenia 
is  old  enough  to  be  married"  insisted  Lloyd.  "  I 
can  hardly  believe  it  is  true." 

She  sat  staring  dreamily  out  of  the  window  until 
a  slight  breeze  fluttering  the  sheets  of  paper  still 


"SWEET  SIXTEEN"  323 

clutched  in  her  fingers  reminded  her  that  she  had 
read  only  two  of  the  twenty  pages. 

"  Heah  is  what  she  says  about  it,"  began  Lloyd, 
reading  slowly,  for  the  closely  written  sheets  were 
hard  to  decipher. 

" '  I  know  you  are  going  to  wonder  how  it  all 
came  about,  so  I'll  begin  at  the  beginning.  Last 
summer  papa  came  on  to  Paris  in  time  for  Com- 
mencement. He  was  so  pleased  because  I  took 
first  honours,  when  he  hadn't  expected  me  to  take 
any,  that  he  said  he  would  do  as  fathers  sometimes 
did  in  fairy-tales,  —  grant  me  three  wishes,  any- 
thing in  reason;  for  he  had  had  an  unusually  suc- 
cessful year  and  could  well  afford  it. 

"  '  Well,  I  thought  and  thought,  but  I  couldn't 
think  of  anything  I  really  wanted,  as  I  just  had 
an  entire  new  outfit  in  clothes,  so  I  told  him  finally 
I'd  like  to  itop  in  London  long  enough  to  have  a 
tailor  make  me  a  riding-habit,  and  I'd  think  of  the 
other  two  wishes  sometime  during  the  year.  So 
we  went  to  London.  Papa  is  such  an  old  darling, 
and  we've  grown  to  be  real  chums.  After  the 
tailor  had  taken  my  measure,  we  drove  to  our  bank- 
er's for  the  mail,  and  who  should  papa  meet  there 
but  Doctor  Tremont,  an  American  physician  whom 


324  LITTLE   COLQNEUS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

he  knew  years  ago  when  they  were  young  men. 
They  belonged  to  the  same  college  fraternity. 

" '  They  forgot  all  about  poor  little  me,  sitting 
over  in  the  corner  of  the  office,  and  stood  and  talked 
about  old  times,  and  asked  each  other  about  Tom, 
Dick,  and  Harry,  until  I  was  thoroughly  tired  of 
waiting.  But  after  awhile  the  handsomest  young 
man  came  into  the  room,  and  Doctor  Tremont 
introduced  him  to  papa  as  his  oldest  son,  Stuart. 
Then  they  remembered  my  humble  existence,  and 
papa  brought  them  both  over  to  me.  In  about  two 
minutes  we  all  felt  as  if  we  had  known  each  other 
always. 

" '  Doctor  Tremont  said  he  had  had  a  very  hard 
winter  in  Berlin,  making  some  study  of  microbes 
with  a  noted  scientist,  —  I  forget  his  name.  He 
said  Stuart  had  been  closely  confined  also  (he  was 
taking  a  medical  course),  and  they  were  off  on 
a  hard-earned  holiday.  They  were  going  coaching 
up  in  the  lake  regions,  first  in  England,  then  in 
Scotland,  and  maybe  later  would  go  over  to  the 
Isle  of  Skye. 

"  '  Would  you  believe  it,  before  we  left  the  bank, 
Doctor  Tremont  had  persuaded  papa  that  he  needed 
a  vacation  also,  and  almost  in  no  time  it  was  ar- 
ranged that  we  should  join  them  on  their  coaching 


"SWEET  SIXTEEN"  $2$ 

trip.  We  had  a  perfectly  ideal  time,  and  Stuart 
and  I  got  to  be  th'e  best  of  friends.  We  corre- 
sponded all  summer  and  fall  after  that.  I  didn't 
expect  to  see  him  again  for  two  years,  because  he 
intended  to  stay  abroad  until  he  had  finished  his 
medical  course.  But  along  in  the  winter  papa's 
health  broke  down,  and  th'e  doctor  told  him  he  must 
keep  away  from  business  for  a  year,  and  ordered 
him  to  Baden-Baden  for  the  water. 

"  '  He  was  horribly  ill  after  we  got  there,  and 
I  was  so  frightened  and  inexperienced  that  I 
thought  he  was  going  to  die,  and  I  telegraphed 
for  Doctor  Tremont.  It  isn't  far  from  Berlin,  you 
know,  as  we  Americans  count  distances.  But  the 
doctor  had  gone  to  Paris  for  several  weeks,  and 
Stuart  came  at  once  in  his  place.  Of  course  he 
wasn't  an  experienced  physician  like  his  father,  but 
he  was  such  a  comfort,  for  he  cheered  papa  up  so 
much,  and  assured  us  that  the  doctor  in  charge  was 
doing  everything  that  his  father  could  do.  And 
he  helped  nurse  papa,  and  boosted  up  my  spirits 
mightily,  and  was  so  dear  and  thoughtful  and  con- 
siderate that,  when  he  went  away,  I  felt  as  if  the 
bottom  had  dropped  out  of  everything.  You  can't 
imagine  how  kind  and  lovely  he  was  all  that  week. 
Papa  fairly  swore  by  him. 


326   LITTLE   COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

"  '  We  wrote  to  each  other  every  week  after  he 
went  back  to  Berlin.  Early  this  March  papa  and 
I  went  down  into  Italy.  We  shifted  about  from 
place  to  place,  —  Naples,  Sorrento,  Rome,  Flor- 
ence, and  finally  to  Venice.  I  don't  know  why  I 
never  wrote  to  you  those  days.  You  were  often 
in  my  thoughts,  but  you  know  how  it  is  when  one 
is  constantly  on  the  wing. 

"  '  I  used  to  wish  daily  that  Stuart  could  be  with 
us.  He  is  the  most  satisfactory  of  travelling  com- 
panions, but  I  didn't  know  how  very  much  I  wished 
it  until  one  day  in  Venice.  Papa  was  asleep  at  the 
hotel,  and  I  was  so  lonely  that  I  started  out  by 
myself  to  explore.  I  left  a  message  with  the  clerk 
that  I  had  gone  to  vespers  at  Saint  Mark's  Cathe- 
dral. There  was  a  crowd  of  tourists  in  the  square 
in  front  of  the  cathedral,  feeding  the  pigeons. 
Hearing  their  English  speech  after  so  many  months 
of  nothing  but  foreign  tongues  made  me  homesick. 
In  the  whole  plaza,  no  one  but  myself  seemed  to  be 
alone.  They  were  walking  in  groups  or  couples, 
and  everybody  seemed  so  gay  and  happy  that  I 
was  glad  to  cross  over  to  the  cathedral  to  get  out 
of  sight. 

" '  The  vesper  service  had  just  begun,  and  I 
stood  inside  the  door  listening  to  the  chanting  of 


"  SWEET  SIXTEEN »  327 

the  monks'  voices,  and  getting  more  homesick  every 
moment.  Just  as  the  tears  were  ready  to  brim  over, 
I  looked  up,  and  there  in  the  dim  light  beside  me 
stood  Stuart.  I  thought  I  must  be  dreaming,  but 
it  was  a  very  happy  dream,  for  I  felt  that  I  could 
never  be  homesick  or  unhappy  again  when  he 
looked  down  and  smiled. 

" '  I  couldn't  believe  that  I  was  awake  and  that 
he  was  really  there,  until  we  got  outside  the  cathe- 
dral and  he  began  to  tiJk.  Then  he  told  me  that 
he  had  gone  to  the  hotel,  and  they  had  given  him 
the  message  I  had  left  for  papa.  It  never  occurred 
to  me  to  wonder  why  he  had  come  to  Venice.  It 
just  seemed  so  natural  and  lovely  that  he  should 
be  there  that  I  never  even  asked  him  why.  He 
called  a  gondola,  and  we  got  in  and  went  drifting 
down  the  canals  under  the  bridges  and  past  the 
old  palaces,  with  the  sunset  turning  everything 
around  us  to  rose-colour  and  gold.  Oh,  I  can't 
begin  to  tell  you  how  perfectly  heavenly  it  all  was. 
There  was  a  new  moon  in  the  sky  when  we  turned 
back  to  the  hotel,  and,  though  Stuart  hadn't  pro- 
posed in  the  same  way  that  Laurie  did  to  Amy  in 
"Little  Women,"  he  had  told  me  why  he  came 
so  far  to  find  me,  and  I  liked  his  way  a  great  deal 
better  than  Laurie's. 


328  LITTLE  COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

"'Wasn't  it  all  romantic?  Papa  was  awfully 
surprised  to  see  him,  and  nearly  as  glad  as  I,  and 
I  told  him  that  now  I'd  claim  the  other  wishes 
he  had  promised  me  at  Commencement,  and  take 
the  two  in  one.  I  wished  that  he  would  say  yes 
to  the  question  Stuart  had  come  to  ask  him.  Dear 
old  dad,  he  always  keeps  his  promises,  so  he  said 
yes  after  awhile.  After  Stuart  had  explained  that 
he  didn't  intend  to  ask  him  fo  give  me  up.  When 
he  finishes  his  medical  course  here  next  year,  he 
has  a  position  waiting  for  him  near  New  York  City. 
We're  to  have  a  little  home  on  the  Hudson,  and 
papa  is  to  live  with  us.  So  is  Doctor  Tremont, 
when  he  gets  through  with  his  microbe  business. 
We  are  done  with  hotels  for  ever. 

" '  I  cannot  remember  ever  having  had  a  home, 
Lloyd.  I  have  always  lived  either  in  a  hotel  or  at 
boarding-school.  And  Stuart  says  the  only  one  he 
can  remember  distinctly  was  the  one  presided  over 
by  his  great-aunt  Patricia,  and  she  never  did  under- 
stand boys.  This  summer  I  shall  spend  with  papa 
in  Switzerland.  He  is  about  well  now.  Then  in 
the  fall,  when  he  goes  back  to  New  York,  I  am 
going  to  a  delightful  school  near  Berlin  which  I 
have  just  heard  of.  It  is  a  school  where  none  but 
the  daughters  of  the  German  nobility  are  received, 


"SWEET  SIXTEEN*  329 

as  a  rule.  They  make  an  exception  sometimes  in 
the  case  of  Americans  like  myself.  There  they  are 
taught  all  the  housewifely  arts  that  delight  a  good 
frau's  soul.  Don't  laugh  at  me,  Lloyd.  I'm  going 
to  learn  how  to  broil  and  brew  and  conduct  a  well- 
regulated  establishment  from  attic  to  cellar. 

" '  A  year  from  this  June,  Cousin  Jack  and 
Cousin  Elizabeth  are  to  bring  you  arid  Betty  on 
to  New  York  to  be  my  bridesmaids.  I'd  love  to 
have  Joyce,  too,  if  it  were  possible  for  her  to  leave 
home.  She  has  been  so  good  to  Stuart's  brother 
Phil.  Isn't  it  strange  that  we  should  all  be  so 
linked  together?  I'd  like  to  have  all  of  you  girls 
that  I  met  at  your  never-to-be-forgotten  house- 
party.  That  was  where  I  had  my  first  taste  of  a 
real  home,  and  found  out  that  there  is  something 
to  live  for  besides  the  things  that  money  can  buy. 

"  '  I  have  looked  so  often  lately  at  my  little  Tusi- 
tala  ring.  I  have  been  a  better  girl  because  of  that 
ring,  Lloyd,  and  I  intend  it  shall  be  the  inspiration 
of  all  my  married  life,  —  to  help  me  leave  a  road 
of  the  loving  heart  in  the  memory  of  every  one 
around  me. 

" '  I  wish  everybody  in  the  world  could  be  as 
happy  as  I  am.  I  am  sending  Stuart's  picture, 
so  that  you  can  see  for  yourself  what  a  fine,  splen- 


33O  LITTLE   COLONEL'S  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

did  fellow  you  are  to  have  for  a  cousin  some  day. 
Give  my  love  to  your  father  and  mother  and  Betty, 
and  do  write  soon  and  tell  me  that  you  are  glad. 
"  '  Your  loving  cousin, 

" '  EUGENIA.'  " 

Lloyd  looked  up  from  the  reading  of  the  letter, 
wondering  what  sort  of  an  expression  she  would 
find  on  her  mother's  face.  To  her  surprise,  it  was 
one  of  approval,  and  there  were  tears  in  her  eyes. 

"  Poor  motherless  child !  "  said  Mrs.  Sherman, 
softly.  "  I  shall  write  to  her  to-day.  I  don't  ap- 
prove of  early  marriages,  but  Eugenia  has  always 
been  more  mature  than  most  girls  of  her  age,  and 
she  does  need  a  home  sadly.  The  care  and  pleasure 
of  one  will  develop  her  character  in  a  way  that 
nothing  else  will.  Let  me  see.  She  will  be  nearly 
twenty  next  June.  Yes,  I  have  no  doubt  but  that, 
with  this  next  year's  training  in  housekeeping 
which  she  intends  to  take,  she  will  be  far  better 
fitted  for  home-making  than  many  an  older 
woman." 

"  And  may  Betty  and  I  be  bridesmaids  ?  "  inter- 
rupted Lloyd,  eagerly,  a  starlike  expectancy  shin- 
ing in  her  eyes. 

Mrs.  Sherman  considered  a  moment,  then  an- 


-  SWEE  T  SIXTEEN  »  331 

swered,  slowly :  "  There  is  no  reason  why  you 
should  not  be,  so  long  as  you  are  willing  to  go  as 
little  maids,  and  not  young  ladies.  I  am  very  jeal- 
ous for  your  girlhood,  Lloyd  dear.  I  must  guard 
against  anything  that  would  shorten  it  in  the  least. 
Mother's  baby  must  not  grow  up  too  fast." 

"  I  don't  want  to  grow  up  fast,  honestly !  "  cried 
Lloyd,  scrambling  to  her  feet  and  tripping  over  the 
long  skirts  again  as  she  threw  her  arms  around  her 
mother's  neck.  "  I'm  not  dignified  enough  yet  to 
fit  yoah  dresses,  and  my  hair  simply  won't  stay  up. 
Sweet  sixteen  doesn't  seem  half  as  old  when  you 
really  get  there  as  you  think  that  it  is  going  to. 
I'll  do  my  hair  down  and  weah  short  skirts  as  long 
as  you  want  me  to,  but,  oh,  I'm  so  glad  that  I'm 
going  to  be  a  bridesmaid!  It  will  be  such  fun. 
I  must  write  to  Betty  this  minute  to  tell  her  that 
you  are  willing." 

That  night  Lloyd  sat  before  her  dressing-table 
again,  this  time  with  the  new  photographs  propped 
up  in  front  of  her.  Stuart's  picture  almost  seemed 
to  bring  Phil  before  her  eyes,  and  for  a  moment, 
instead  of  the  familiar  walls  of  her  room,  she  saw 
the  moonlighted  desert,  and  smelled  the  orange- 
blossoms,  and  heard  a  strong  young  voice  ringing 
out  across  the  silence  of  the  sandy  cactus  plains: 


332   LITTLE  COLONELS  CHRISTMAS  VACATION 

"  Till  the  sun  grows  cold, 
And  the  stars  are  old, 
And  the  leaves  of  the  Judgment 
Book  unfold." 


"  Wouldn't  it  be  strange,"  she  thought,  "  if  he 
were  really  the  one  written  for  me  in  the  stars, 
as  Betty  said  in  the  beginning,  and  that  we  should 
meet  at  Eugenia's  wedding  again,  and  that  some 
day,  a  long  time  after,  I  should  find  that  he  is  the 
prince  ?  But  it  couldn't  be  Phil,"  she  said  to  herself 
after  another  glance.  "  He  doesn't  measuah  up  to 
Papa  Jack's  yardstick.  Neithah  does  Malcolm  now, 
for  that  mattah,"  she  mused,  with  her  chin  in  her 
hand.  "  Jack  Ware  might,  or  Rob,  but  they  seem 
moah  like  brothahs  than  anything  else,  and  would 
not  fit  my  ideal  of  a  prince  at  all." 

" '  As  the  falcon's  feathahs  fit  the  falcon/  "  she 
quoted,  dreamily.  "  It  would  have  to  be  some 
strangah  that  I've  nevah  yet  seen,  to  do  that.  Or, 
maybe  Mammy  Easter's  grandmothah  was  right 
when  she  read  my  fortune  in  the  teacups.  Maybe 
I'll  be  an  old  maid.  I  wish  I  knew.  I  wish  I 
knew!" 

She  peered  wistfully  into  the  mirror,  as  if  she 
half-expected  to  see  a  shadowy  hand  stretch  out 
of  its  dim  background,  and  lift  the  veil  of  the  future 


•'  '  NO  MATTAH   WHAT  LIES  AHEAD  .  .  .  I'LL  NOT  DISAPPOINT  THEM  ' 


"SWEET  SIXTEEN"  333 

to  her  eager  gaze.  "  The  thoughts  of  youth  are 
long,  long  thoughts."  Lloyd's  flew  back  to  Eu- 
genia's romance  for  an  instant,  then  drifted  far 
beyond  the  two  in  the  gondola,  with  the  Venetian 
sunset  turning  all  their  little  world  to  rose-colour 
and  gold. 

One  is  a  mariner  at  sixteen,  sailing  toward  an 
undiscovered  country,  with  seaweed  and  driftwood 
on  the  crest  of  every  wave  beginning  to  whisper, 
"Land  ahead."  Toward  the  dim,  outline  of  that 
untried  shore,  Lloyd  drifted  now  in  her  reverie. 

"  I  wish  I  could  know  what  the  next  sixteen 
yeahs  hold  for  me,"  she  whimpered.  "  I  hope  it 
will  be  something  bettah  than  I  could  choose  for 
myself.  Mothah  and  Papa  Jack  expect  so  much 
of  me." 

Then  her  glance  fell  on  the  unfinished  rosary, 
and,  picking  up  the  string  of  tiny  pearls,  she  looped 
it  around  her  throat,  and  faced  the  girl  in  the 
mirror  with  resolute  eyes. 

"  No  mattah  what  lies  ahead,"  she  said,  bravely, 
"I'll  not  disappoint  them.  I'll  keep  the  tryst!" 

THE  END. 


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as  anything  in  the  animal  book  line  that  has  seen  the  light.  It 
is  a  book  for  j  uveniles  —  old  and  young. " —  Philadelphia  Item. 

'Tilda  Jane.      By  MARSHALL  SAUNDERS. 

One  vol.,  1 2mo,  fully  illustrated,  cloth  decorative,  $  i  .50 

"  It  is  one  of  those  exquisitely  simple  and  truthful  books 
that  win  and  charm  the  reader,  and  I  did  not  put  it  down 
until  I  had  finished  it  —  honest  1  And  I  am  sure  that  every 
one,  young  or  old,  who  reads  will  be  proud  and  happy  to 
make  the  acquaintance  of  the  delicious  waif. 

"  I  cannot  think  of  any  better  book  for  children  than  this. 
I  commend  it  unreservedly."  —  Cyrus  Townsend  Brady. 

The  Story  of  the  Qraveleys.    By  MAR- 

SHALL  SAUNDERS,  author  of  "  Beautiful  Joe's  Para- 
dise," "  'Tilda  Jane,"  etc. 

Library  i2mo,  cloth  decorative,  illustrated  by  E.  B. 
Barry $1.50 

Here  we  have  the  haps  and  mishaps,  the  trials  and  triumphs, 
of  a  delightful  New  England  family,  of  whose  devotion  and 
sturdiness  it  will  do  the  reader  good  to  hear. 

Bom  to  the  Blue.      By  FLORENCE  KIMBALL 
RUSSEL. 
1 2 mo,  cloth  decorative,  illustrated       .        .        $1.25 

The  atmosphere  of  army  life  on  the  plains  breathes  on 
every  page  of  this  delightful  tale.  The  boy  is  the  son  of  a 
captain  of  U.  S.  cavalry  stationed  at  a  frontier  post  in  the 
days  when  oar  regulars  earned  the  gratitude  of  a  natioa. 


Z.  C.  PAGE   AND   COMPANY'S 


In  West  Point  Gray.      By  FLORENCE  KIM- 
BALL  RUSSEL. 

i2mo,  cloth  decorative,  illustrated        .        .        $1.25 
West  Point  forms  the  background  for  the  second  volume 

in  this  series,  and  gives  us  the  adventures  of  Jack  as  a  cadet. 

Here  the  training  of  his  childhood  days  in  the  frontier  army 

post  stands  him  in  good  stead ;  and  he  quickly  becomes  the 

central  figure  of  the  West  Point  life. 

The  Sandman;  His  Farm  Stories. 

By  WILLIAM  J.  HOPKINS.     With  fifty  illustrations  by 

Ada  Clendenin  Williamson. 

Large  1 2mo,  decorative  cover      .         .        .        $1.50 

"  An  amusing,  original  book,  written  for  the  benefit  of  very 
small  children.  It  should  be  one  of  the  most  popular  of  the 
year's  books  for  reading  to  small  children."  — Buffalo  Ex- 
press. 

The  Sandman :  More  Farm  Stories. 

By  WILLIAM  J.  HOPKINS. 

Large  I2mo,  decorative  cover,  fully  illustrated     $1.50 

Mr.  Hopkins's  first  essay  at  bedtime  stories  met  with  such 
approval  that  this  second  book  of  "  Sandman  "  tales  was 
issued  for  scores  of  eager  children.  Life  on  the  farm,  and 
out-of-doors,  is  portrayed  in  his  inimitable  manner. 

The   Sandman:  His    Ship  Stories. 

By  WILLIAM  J.  HOPKINS,  author  of  "  The  Sandman  : 

His  Farm   Stories,"   etc. 

Large  12010,  decorative  cover,  fully  illustrated  $1.50 

"  Mothers  and  fathers  and  kind  elder  sisters  who  put  the 
little  ones  to  bed,  and  rack  their  brains  for  stories,  will  find 
this  book  a  treasure."  —  Cleveland  Leader . 

"  Children  call  for  these  stories  over  and  over  again." — 
Ckitago  Evening  Post. 


BOOK'S  FOR    YOUNG  PEOPLE 


Pussy-Cat  Town.      By  MARION  AMES  TAG- 

GART. 

Small  quarto,  cloth  decorative,  illustrated  and  deco- 
rated in  colors     ......         $1.00 

"  Pussy-Cat  Town  "  is  a  most  unusual  delightful  cat  story. 
Ban-Ban,  a  pure  Maltese  who  belonged  to  Rob,  Kiku-san, 
Lois's  beautiful  snow-white  pet,  and  their  neighbors  Bedelia 
the  tortoise-shell,  Madame  Laura  the  widow,  Wutz  Butz  the 
warrior,  and  wise  old  Tommy  Traddles,  were  really  and  truly 
cats. 

The  Roses  of  Saint  Elizabeth.    By  JANE 

SCOTT  WOODRUFF,  author  of  "  The  Little  Christmas 
Shoe" 

Small  quarto,  cloth  decorative,  illustrated  and  deco- 
rated in  colors  by  Adelaide  Everhart        .         $r.oo 

This  is  a  charming  little  story  of  a  child  whose  father  was 
caretaker  of  the  great  castle  of  the  Wartburg,  where  Saint 
Elizabeth  once  had  her  home. 

Gabriel  and  the  Hour  Book.    ByEvA- 

LEEN  STEIN. 

Small  quarto,  cloth  decorative,  illustrated  and  deco- 
rated in  colors  by  Adelaide  Everhart        .         $1.00 

Gabriel  was  a  loving,  patient,  little  French  lad,  who  assisted 
the  monks  in  the  long  ago  days,  when  all  the  books  were 
written  and  illuminated  by  hand,  in  the  monasteries. 

The    Enchanted    Automobile.    Trans- 
lated from  the  French  by  MARY  J.  SAFFORD. 
Small  quarto,  cloth  decorative,  illustrated  and  deco- 
rated in  colors  by  Edna  M.  Sawyer      .         .         $1.00 

The  enchanted  automobile  was  sent  by  the  fairy  god- 
mother of  a  lazy,  discontented  little  prince  and  princess  to 
take  them  to  fairyland,  where  they  might  visit  their  story- 
book favorites. 


Z.  C.  PAGE  ArtL,   COMPANY'S 


The  Red  Feathers.   By  THEODORE  ROBERTS, 
author  of  "  Brothers  of  Peril,"  etc. 
Cloth  decorative,  illustrated         .         .         .         $1.50 
"  The  Red  Feathers"  tells  of  the  remarkable  adventures  of 
an  Indian  boy  who  lived  in  the  Stone  Age,  many  years  ago, 
when  the  world  was  young,  and  when  fairies  and  magicians 
did  wonderful  things  for  their  friends  and  enemies. 

The  Wreck  of  the  Ocean  Queen.    By 

James  Otis,  author  of  "  Larry  Hudson's  Ambition," 

etc. 

Cloth  decorative,  illustrated         .        .        .        $1.50 

This  story  takes  its  readers  on  a  sea  voyage  around  the 
world ;  gives  them  a  trip  on  a  treasure  ship  ;  an  exciting  ex- 
perience in  a  terrific  gale;  and  finally  a  shipwreck,  with  a 
mutineering  crew  determined  to  take  the  treasure  to  compli- 
cate matters. 

But  only  the  mutineers  will  come  to  serious  harm,  and 
after  the  reader  has  known  the  thrilling  excitement  of  lack  of 
food  and  water,  of  attacks  by  night  and  day,  and  of  a  hand-to- 
hand  fight,  he  is  rescued  and  brought  safely  home  again,  — 
to  realize  that  it's  only  a  story,  but  a  stirring  and  realistic 
one. 

Little  White  Indians.     By  FANNIE  E. 

OSTRANDER. 

Cloth  decorative,  illustrated         .         .         .        $1.25 
The  "  Little  White  Indians  "  were  two  families  of  children 

who  "  played  Indian  "  all  one  long  summer  vacation.     They 

built  wigwams  and   made  camps ;  they   went    hunting  and 

fought  fierce  battles  on  the  war-trail. 

A  bright,  interesting  story  which  will  appeal  strongly  to 

the  "  make-believe  "  instinct  in  children,  and  will  give  them  a 

healthy,  active  interest  in  "  the  simple  life." 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE 


PHYLLIS'  FIELD  FRIENDS  SERIES 

By  LENORE  £.  MULETS 
Six   vols.,   cloth    decorative,    illustrated    by   Sophie 
Schneider.    Sold  separately,  or  as  a  set. 

Per  volume fl.oo 

Per  set 6.00 

Insect  Stories. 

Stories  of  Little  Animals. 

Flower  Stories. 

Bird  Stories. 

Tree  Stories. 

Stories  of  Little  Fishes. 

In  this  series  of  six  little  Nature  books,  it  is  the  author's  in- 
tention  so  to  present  to  the  child  reader  the  facts  about  each 
particular  flower,  insect,  bird,  or  animal,  in  story  form,  as  to 
make  delightful  reading.  Classical  legends,  myths,  poems, 
and  songs  are  so  introduced  as  to  correlate  fully  with  these 
lessons,  to  which  the  excellent  illustrations  are  no  little  help. 

THE  WOODRANGER  TALES 

By  G.   WALDO  BROWNE 

The  Wood  ranger. 
The  Young  Qunbearen 
The  Hero  of  the  Hills. 
With  Rogers'  Rangers. 

Each   I  vol.,  large  I2mo,  cloth,  decorative  cover,  illus- 
trated, per  volume  ......    $1.25 

Four  vols.,  boxed,  per  set        ....       S.oo 

"  The  Woodranger  Tales,"  like  the  "  Pathfinder  Tales  "  of 
J.  Fenimore  Cooper,  combine  historical  information  relating 
to  early  pioneer  days  in  America  with  interesting  adventures 
hi  the  backwoods.  Although  the  same  characters  are  con- 
tinued throughout  the  series,  each  book  is  complete  in  itself, 
and,  while  based  strictly  on  historical  facts,  is  an  interesting 
and  exciting  tale  of  adventure. 


THE  LITTLE  COUSIN  SERIES 

The  most  delightful  and  interesting  accounts  possible 
of  child  life  in  other  lands,  filled  with  quaint  sayings, 
doings,  and  adventures. 

Each  one  vol.,  1  2mo,  decorative  cover,  cloth,  with  six  or  more 
full-page  illustrations  in  color. 

Price  per  volume       .......    $0.60 

By    MARY     HAZELTON     WADE     (unless    otherwise 
indicated) 

Our  Little  African  Cousin        Our  Little  Irish  Cousin 
Our  Little  Alaskan  Cousin        Our  Little  Italian  Cousin 
By  Mary  F.  Nixon  -  Roulet   Qur  Uttle  Japane,e  Cou.in 


_       .  .    .      .  .       _       .  Our  Little  Korean  Cousin 

Our  Little  Armenian  Cousin  By  H  Lee  M.  Pike 

Our  Little  Brown  Cousin  Qur  UtUc  Mexican  Cousin 
Our  Little  Canadian  Cousin  By  Edward  C.  Butler 

By  Elizabeth  R.  Macdonald  Qur  Uttle  Norwegian  Cousin 

Our  Little  Chinese  Cousin  Our  Utt,e  Panama  CoU8;n 

By  Isaac  Taylor  Headland  By  H   Lee  M.  Pike 

Our  Little  Cuban  Cousin  Our  Uttle  PhiHppine  Cousin 

Our  Little  Dutch  Cousin  Our  Little  Porto  Rican  Cousin 

By  Blanche  McManus  ^ 

^      t  •    i    p     i.  t  /»       -  Our  Li"16  Ru««an  Cousin 

Our  Little  English  Cousin  __  ,    _        ,    _ 

By  Blanche  McManus  Our  Little  Scotch  Cousin 

_  By  Blanche  McManus 

Our  Little  Eskimo  Cousin  ,  ' 

_  ,    _  Our  Little  Siamese  Cousin 

Our  Little  French  Cousin  _ 

By  Blanche  McManas  Our  Little  Spanish  Cousin 

.  '  By  Mary  F.  Nixon  -Roulet 

Our  Little  German  Cousin 

Our  Little  Swedish  Cousin 
Our  Little  Hawaiian  Cousin  By  Claire  M  Coburn 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


Hi.  JAN1 
JRN221987 


Form  L9-25m-9,'47(A5618)444 


THE  r,n?RARY 


Ill  I II  III 

1158  00382 


905' 


